Doe Eyes & Puppy-Dog Pouts
by midnight craving
Summary: Ally Dawson was once a huge Internet sensation known as Ally-D. However, she stepped out of the spotlight for unknown reasons... Until now. A year later, she meets Austin Moon, and he takes her on an adventure of new feelings, trust, and friendship... Maybe even a little romance? Find out!
1. Double Take

"Doe Eyes & Puppy-Dog Pouts"

_Double Take_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally or any actors/actresses who portray them. I also do not own any songs used throughout story line- just this idea**

**Pairing**: Ally Dawson/Austin Moon

**Song(s) included**: "_Double Take_" and "_Break Down the Walls_"- Austin & Ally (Ross Lynch)

* * *

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**With Ally (and Austin and Dez)**_

"Thanks for shopping at Sonic Boom," Ally Dawson said, smiling at the customer. "Please, come again!" She waved lightly as he walked out, new violin strings in his possession.

Sighing, she ran her slim fingers through her chestnut locks, frowning when the lightly curled strands got tangled. Despite it being a year, she constantly forgot it was no longer straight.

_Or colored for that matter_, she mentally added, inwardly sighing in remorse. She used to adore dying her hair! However, that was no longer part of her life- she had to get used to that.

The sound of someone playing the drums caught her attention, and her back stiffened. While whoever was playing had a good beat, she couldn't allow anyone to play the drums- it was against store policy and her father would scold her if he found her slacking.

Closing her chocolate eyes briefly, she prepared herself for dealing with a customer who might just give her attitude- drummers were all the same, in her book.

"Excuse me," she said, staring at the blonde young man she found sitting behind the drum set. She caught his hands, now noticing the corndogs. "Did you not see the sign that said '_Please don't play the drums_'?" She couldn't resist adding, "By the way, do you know how unsanitary it is to bang your corndogs against these drums? Not to mention how unhealthy corndogs are."

His blank expression said he hadn't listened to a word she said, and Ally sighed in exasperation.

Suddenly, he grinned, a very boyishly charming grin, she might add. "Nah, I just really like corndogs," he stated, taking a huge bite out of one to prove his point. He was kind enough to hold up the unbitten one. "Want a bite?"

Ally wrinkled her nose and shoved his hand away from her face. "No thanks."

A ginger haired young man, whom she just noticed, stopped videotaping his blonde friend. "Excuse me, miss," he said in a boastful, important voice, grinning. "But, this is Austin Moon. He's an upcoming Internet sensation and he'll need some instruments for the music video I'm shooting."

The blonde one -Austin –grinned and stood from the drum set. "Yeah, lots and lots of instruments." His hands rubbed together, like he couldn't wait to get his hands on them.

"And does this Internet-sensation-Austin-Moon have money?" Ally sweetly asked.

"Well, no," the ginger haired teen answered, but perked up immediately. "We were kind of hoping to take them now, then pay you back later."

Rolling her eyes, she made her way back to the register. She hoped they would just leave, but Austin followed, his hazel gaze glued to her form, like he knew her from somewhere but couldn't place it. Yeah, she wouldn't be surprised.

"What my friend, Dez, means is that I'll pay for everything after I make it big," Austin tried to reason, his tone turning persuasive. "So, what do you say?"

"Does it look like I was born yesterday?" she asked in a bored tone.

His gaze ran over her form, not in a perverse way but in an assessing way. "No," he answered, smiling, "You look my age. Are you?"

Ally narrowed her eyes, wondering what kind of game he was playing with her. "If you mean fifteen, then yeah, we're the same age," she slowly replied.

"Oh, sweet!" he exclaimed, eyes sparkling. "So, what else do you like? Do you like music? I mean, you work in a music store, so you must, right? What instruments do you-?"

She held up a hand, instantly stopping his chatter. "I'm going on break," she cautiously said, "So, don't follow me." With that, she passed the tall blonde and made her way upstairs to her private sanctuary.

Maybe that was rude of her, but music was a touchy subject. Yes, she loved it, but with her past, she didn't want much to do with it anymore, especially when it came to being in the spotlight. It's been a year, but she still couldn't bring herself to go back.

She _wouldn't_.

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**Ally's Practice Room**_

Flipping through pages in her special songbook, she found what she was looking for and began working on the lyrics she'd written. Although she didn't plan on ever playing this song live, she adored the beat she could hear in her head whenever she came up with new words to add. It was up-beat and catchy.

Without her knowledge, she began singing the song out loud:

"_They wanna know, know, know  
Your name, name, name  
They want the girl, girl, girl  
With game, game, game_

_And when they look, look, look  
Your way, way, way  
You're gonna make, (make), make, (make)_

_Make 'em do a double take"_

Unknown to Ally, Austin had walked into the room upon hearing the song. "You know," he commented, causing the chestnut haired girl to startle slightly in her seat. "That's a very catchy song." He grinned boyishly, rightfully impressed. "You should totally sing it live, _Ally-D_."

"Yeah, right," she scoffed, going back to looking at her journal. She froze suddenly, her mind replaying what he said. Whipping in his direction, she gaped at him.

"Ha!" he exclaimed, expression lighting up in excitement. "I knew I saw you from somewhere before! You're Ally-D; one of the greatest Internet sensations in our generation." He frowned suddenly. "But, you disappeared from the music industry for a year now, right? Why?"

Austin didn't understand- this was Ally-D. She'd made her career at only age seven, but suddenly dropped off the face of the Earth at fifteen. He'd followed her amazing work, hoping to one day be as popular as she.

Now, he was getting his chance to finally meet and talk to her. Everyone had always assumed she'd left because she couldn't come up with any more original lyrics or because of some scandal. Austin had hoped she'd been looking for inspiration, but now it didn't look like she was coming back any time soon.

Ally closed her book, sighing. Standing, she straightened her dress and faced the boy who surprisingly recognized her. She would never admit to something warm in her chest blooming at the thought of a fan, but she was done with show business.

"I gave up that life," she said simply, "It just wasn't for me anymore. End of story." A frown tugged her lips downward as a thought occurred to her. "Didn't you see the sign that said '_Employees Only_'?"

He shrugged casually. "Guess not," he replied.

"Well, what are you doing up here, then? This is my private work room."

Austin smiled. She didn't answer his questions to his satisfaction but he'll let that slide for now. Instead, he held up a harmonica. "I was hoping to buy this with a discount because it was in an old lady?"

Didn't he realize how wrong that question sounded?

Ally gave said instrument a disgusted look. "I'm afraid to ask what you mean by that," she stated, shuddering. "You know what? Just go talk to my dad about that. I so don't wanna touch that thing."

"It only has a little bit of old lady spit in it," he said in defense. To prove his point, he blew into it, but ended up spraying Ally in the face with said spit. "Oops." He winced but had to suppress a smile at the same time.

In answer, she pointed at the door. "Out."

Austin didn't need to be told twice. He bolted out the door while Ally slammed it closed behind his retreating figure.

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**Two Days Later**_

"Guess who got a job at _Cupcake City_?" Trish called out, her voice perky as she caught sight of Ally, her best friend.

Ally turned to smile at her friend, but rolled her eyes at the cupcake Trish held in one hand. "Trish, you know there's no eating in the store." Eying the sweet treat, she snatched it when the Latina was close enough. "But, I'll just take it off your hands. I'm starving!"

As she took a bite, she only half listened as her shorter friend continued to talk.

"Yeah, they let us have all the rejects. I dropped that one on the floor."

Ally stopping eating, her upper lip covered in white icing. Looking down in disgust, she threw the cupcake into the garbage. "Well, I guess that's what I get for breaking the rules," she commented in a self-depicting manner, wiping the frosting off.

Trish laughed sheepishly. "Well, anyway, what have you been doing? Written any new songs?"

Outside of her immediate family, Trish was the only one Ally had trusted with her secret of being an Internet sensation. Everyone else from that life were gone- not that Ally ever wanted to see them again, not anytime soon.

Ally smiled. "Well, yeah, but it's not like anyone is going to hear it," she said, "Except you, anyway."

"Break it out," her friend encouraged, waving a hand, "I wanna see it now. The store isn't busy, and I'm sure your dad can handle any customers."

"Well, okay then." The brunette led the way into her private practice room, where she kept her secret songbook. "Can you turn on the recording machine? I think it still works, but you know how old that thing is."

"Sure thing." Trish twisted some knobs before the board lit up. "Done."

Ally took her place at the old microphone she'd been using for as long as she could remember. She loved the thing dearly, but she needed a new one soon, despite only performing for Trish.

Taking a breath, her eyes scanned over the lyrics she'd written before opening her mouth to start.

**Ally:**

"_Flip a switch  
Turn up the lightning  
Get it right  
Show 'em how it's done_

_Free it up_  
_No matter how you dress that song_  
_Girl you know you got a number one_  
_Go with it_

_You got 'em where you want 'em_  
_Drop the beat_  
_They need to hear your sound_  
_Play it up_

_It's coming down to you right now_  
_They wanna know know know_  
_Your name name name_  
_They want the girl girl girl"_

Halfway through her song, Trish frowned. The Latina knew she'd heard this song before, but she couldn't quite place where. Why did it sound familiar?

"_With game game game  
And when they look look look  
Your way way way  
Your gonna make (make) make (make) make  
Make 'em do a double take_

_They wanna know know know_  
_Your name name name_  
_They want the girl girl girl_

_With game game game_  
_And when they look look look_  
_Your way way way_  
_Your gonna make (make) make (make) make_  
_Make 'em do a double take_  
_What up?"_

Ally finished, grinning proudly at making another song that could make it big; another Ally-D original. Although no one outside this room would ever hear it, she was just glad she could still make music her own way.

"Well, what do you think?" she eagerly asked her best friend, eyes staring hopefully. What she didn't expect was the horrified expression on Trish's face, and Ally frowned in misery. "Was it that bad?"

The Latina snapped out of her thoughts, and her eyes widened in panic at the dejected look on the brunette's face. "No, Ally, no!" she exclaimed, her hands beginning to wave frantically. "You got it all wrong- I've heard that song before!"

Ally cocked her head to the side, confused. "Before?" she repeated. "But, that's not possible- I only finished this song a couple days ago. Where did you hear it?"

"On the Internet." Trish began digging through her pockets to find her cell phone, knowing she could catch the Wi-Fi connection from the store.

"The Internet?" she questioned in surprise.

"Yeah, the Internet," the shorter girl answered, looking at her friend like she was slow. "You know, the place where people look up stuff and-"

Ally held up a hand. "I know what the Internet is. Just show me where you heard my song."

When Trish finally found the website, she and Ally watched it together. The latter couldn't believe it was that blonde boy she'd met a few days ago- Austin Moon, she thought his name was. She watched with disbelieving eyes as he performed her song, the special effects definitely making people do a 'double take'.

By the views alone, Ally wouldn't be surprised if he became an overnight sensation; just like she was back when she still craved being in the spotlight.

"He stole my song," she breathed out, stunned. Her eyes narrowed suddenly; her fists clenched at her side tightly. "I'm gonna kill him!"

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**The Next Day**_

"Guess who got a job at the magic shop?" Trish's voice rang out in her usual greeting, and Ally glanced up to see the short Latina wearing a magician's costume- cape and all.

"What happened to _Cupcake City_?" Ally asked curiously.

"Apparently, part of the job is to actually be there," was the semi-incredulous response, but Trish quickly changed the subject onto why she was there. "Anyway, I got the directions to that guy's house. You ready to confront him?"

The grin on her friend's face was positively evil, and the brunette could feel the same expression curving her lips up as well.

"Yeah, let's get this guy."

As Ally walked passed Trish to exit the store, the shorter girl accidently put her hand against Ally's shoulder, causing the brunette to jerk and spasm, like she was being electrocuted.

"Oops, sorry," Trish sheepishly said, wincing apologetically at Ally, who turned to glare at her. She held up the offending digit, explaining, "Magic Shock Finger."

Ally huffed and rolled her eyes before continuing to walk, but making sure she didn't come into contact with Trish again. "Let's just hurry up."

_**+++Moon Household:**_

_**Austin's Room**_

The blonde teen who didn't know his doom was on the way, meanwhile, was jogging in place, working up a sweat.

"Faster, faster!" Dez called out like a drill sergeant, his eyes focused on the stopwatch in his hand. "Slower, slower- faster, faster! Pick up those knees, Moon!"

Austin blew out a gusty breath, hoping this would be over soon, but he knew he would do anything to keep his new star-status.

Suddenly, his door burst open, and both boys whipped around to see who it was that would disturb them so abruptly (and rudely, they might add).

"Hey, it's Ally from the music store!" Dez cheerfully announced, grinning at the petite brunette, who was quickly followed by the short Latina.

Ignoring the ginger haired boy, Ally immediately rounded her fury on Austin, who quickly took a step back upon seeing her enraged expression.

"_You_," she hissed out, eyes flashing, "You **stole** _my_ song!"

His hazel-brown eyes widened comically. "What?" he squeaked out, "I don't know what you're talking about!" Although, it did explain a lot; he'd never been able to write songs to save his life. But seriously? Had he stolen someone else's song? And without even realizing it?

"_Double Take_," she said mockingly, narrowing her eyes into angered slits.

"T-That was y-your song?" he squeaked out again, backing up as she advanced until his back came into contact with his desk, thus knocking over the plastic bottles on them.

"What in the world _is_ that?" Trish asked, hands gesturing at said bottles. She couldn't help but ask- boys and their toys and all that.

Dez broke in, seeing as how Austin had to deal with an angry brunette shorter than him. "We're making 'Austin' perfume, seeing as how he's so popular now," he boasted. He grabbed up a bottle and showed it off to the two girls. "We're using Austin's sweat as a base. Wanna try some?"

Before she could answer or stop him, the ginger haired teen sprayed Trish with the unfinished product twice. Her eyes closed as she tried to haul in all her rage.

Instead, all she snapped out was, "I don't like you."

Ally turned back to Austin, who slammed himself back against the desk again in sheer nerves. "The only reason you're popular is because you stole _my song_," she reiterated, pointing an accusing finger at the blonde. "Correct this now, and tell everyone that you didn't write that song."

As much as he wanted to, Austin couldn't. His frustration clearly showed itself on his face as he threw his hands up and actually walked past the Sonic Boom employee. "I can't do that," he claimed, ripping the headband from his head off and throwing it down. "If I do, people will know I'm a fake and I won't be any closer to my dream of being a musician. I'm sorry."

He instantly thought of something, and he held his pointer finger up in a thinking pose. "Oh, how about I give you anything you want and, in exchange, you give me your song?" It seemed fair to him, but he hoped she thought the same.

Ally wrapped her arms around her own waist, trying very hard not to laugh at his absurd solution. "You're going to buy me off?"

"No, no," he quickly said, "Think of it as a _trade_-off. I give you something you want, and I get something I want."

Her response was immediate. "No."

"Oh," Dez exclaimed, snapping his fingers. He opened Austin's closet, and suggested, "How about a life-size chocolate statue of Austin?" He brought the gold-foiled treat out, and both he and Austin presented it like it was a prize.

"No."

Austin was beginning to feel desperate. "Look, I'm really sorry about stealing your song- I didn't know I even stole it!"

Ally was becoming tired of this. Austin made it more than obvious he wasn't going to let this go, so what should she do? Gritting her teeth, she did the only she could- walk away.

"This is _not_ over," was her last warning before she stormed out of the bedroom. "Trish, come on."

Trish made to follow but Dez stopped her. "Hey, maybe Ally will want a foam machine?" His perky suggestion was followed by a demonstration of the Austin-shaped foam machine, which squirted Trish's front, thus ruining her outfit.

Growling, the short Latina used her magic Shock Finger on Dez. She watched in glee as he jerked and withered, but was disappointed when he started laughing and cheering over being electrocuted.

"_Trish_!" Ally practically roared from downstairs, and Trish beat a hasty retreat. She knew better than to cross the brunette when she was in a bad mood; she almost felt sorry for Austin and what was to come next.

Almost.

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**Ally's Practice Room**_

Ally paced the floor with her built up agitation, her hands clasped behind her back as she thought about what to do with Austin Moon. Having been friends with Trish for so long, the brunette was sure she could come up with a plan of revenge to humiliate him or something.

Trish, who was playing with her phone, suddenly broke the silence. "It says here that Austin will be performing at _The Helen Show_ later today. Should we crash it and expose him for the fake he is?"

_The Helen Show_. Well, that brought back some memories for Ally, though she wouldn't dare repeat them out loud.

Before she'd made it big as Ally-D, her father had started talking about how she would inherit Sonic Boom and would carry on the family store.

_"But, daddy," a seven-year-old Ally Dawson complained, stopping her father from speaking. "I wanna be a musician!"_

_ Her father laughed, gently patting her head in a cajoling manner she remembered disliking. "Now, now, Ally-Cat. The chances of you becoming a musician are a bazillion to one shot of making it. Just take over the store, okay? That's a more logical choice."_

But, little Ally remembered not wanting to do the logical thing. Instead, she became an Internet sensation, and _The Helen Show_ had been her first debut as a singer and songwriter; a musician.

Now, at fifteen years old, she had to deal with a cute blonde stealing her song in order to achieve his own ambitions. My, how things have changed.

However, stealing songs and cute boys only reminded Ally of **why** she'd quit the industry.

Eyes hardening, she finally answered Trish's question:

"Yeah, let's go pay the station a visit, _Ally-D_ style."

_**+++The Helen Show:**_

_**With Ally and Trish**_

Getting into the TV studio was too easy, especially if you were Ally-D. After dressing in her 'Internet sensation' look, which consisted of ripped jeans, a neon colored tank top with zebra stripes, and matching low-heeled boots on her feet, all Ally needed to do was straighten her chestnut colored hair and she was ready.

After being gushed over by the front office security guard, she and Trish were one autograph away from confronting Austin Moon and his 'claim' to fame.

"So, what room is he in?" Ally asked curiously as the girls wandered around the large studio. Despite being on _The Helen Show_ before, that had been almost ten years ago- it would be weird if they kept it in the same location, especially since the show was able to expand.

Trish pointed at a random door. "There, that one," she exclaimed, "It has to be the studio!"

When they barged in, mid-rant, Ally and Trish came to the startling conclusion that they had found the news room. The two anchors instantly recognized Ally, so begged for autographs, which encouraged the others on set to do the same.

"Thank you so much, Ally-D," one of the anchors said graciously, his smile so wide Ally had to wonder if his cheeks stung. "My teenage daughter is still such a huge fan of yours. She'll be so thrilled to hear you're coming back to show business."

"Uh, thanks," she awkwardly replied, not having the heart to tell him otherwise. "Would you happen to know where _The Helen Show_ is being filmed? My _friend_, Austin Moon is supposed to be doing an interview there, and I want to _support_ him."

She was surprised the lie flowed easily from between her lips, but she wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, not in this moment.

The anchor smiled helpfully. "Just next door," he answered, pointing in the direction he meant.

"Great, thanks for all the help," Trish cut in, eagerly pushing Ally out the door to continue their search. "Well, that totally wasted our time. Do you think we'll be able to catch the ending of the show?"

Ally wasn't listening, however. What the male anchor had said kept ringing in her brain.

_My teenage daughter is still such a huge fan of yours._

_ She'll be so thrilled to hear you're coming back to show business._

Was she really so missed by her fans?

_**+++The Helen Show:**_

_**With Austin**_

The blonde felt his smile freeze, panic beginning to expand in his chest. What? _Another_ original song? Why had he boasted about having a ton of them?! He didn't even have a good line written!

Now, because of his lies, he was stuck. He could still admit that Ally had written the song, but he didn't want to come off as a fake, nor did he want to expose himself as a thief- even if he'd done the deed on accident!

"Um, another original song?" he questioned nervously, beginning to shift in his seat. Did the stage lights get hotter? Sweat was starting to bead on his forehead. "And you want me back on your show tomorrow for another performance?"

"Yes," Helen answered eagerly, grinning hugely. She turned back to the audience, adding, "You've heard it here, folks! Austin Moon has agreed to come back tomorrow to give us another amazing show! Isn't he great?"

While the audience went wild with excitement, Austin timidly waved at them. As his hazel eyes scanned the sea of people, his gaze connected with a sight he wasn't sure he'd ever see again.

Ally Dawson. But, not just any Ally Dawson- she was dressed as she did when she was Ally-D!

He couldn't stop the genuine grin that stretched across his face. Did this mean she was coming back from seclusion? Was she going to start performing again? He hoped so!

However, his grin turned back into a forced one. He still had to come up with another original song by tomorrow…

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**With Austin and Ally**_

"Please, please, please!" Austin begged Ally as the two made their way further into her father's music store. "Please help me write another song. I need to perform another original tomorrow."

Ally stopped, her fingers playing with her straightened hair. "Look Austin," she said, "You made your own bed, so now you have to sleep in it. I'm not helping you anymore." Quite frankly, she couldn't think of a more fitting punishment- Austin being humiliated in front of thousands of fans.

His hands were spread in exasperation and confusion. "What are you talking about? I don't make my bed! It's as messy as I left it."

She rolled her chocolate eyes and continued trying to make her way upstairs to her personal practice room. Although she didn't get the revenge she'd wanted, she did take satisfaction from a panicking Austin Moon- the thief.

Austin's forlorn voice stopped her only a couple of steps up. "I guess my dad was right. He said I had a bazillion in one chance at making it. I just wanted to prove him wrong."

Ally slowly turned around to face him, the expression on her pretty features unreadable. "Your father said that?" she asked.

The cute blonde gave her a confused look. "Yeah. Why?"

Almost cautiously, she stepped down until she stood in front of him. Her eyes never leaving his gaze, she admitted, "My dad said the same thing."

Finally finding some common ground between them, he smiled a little unsurely. "But, you were so popular. People still talk about you!" Anyone would be able to hear the incredulous note in his tone; he just couldn't fathom the thought of someone thinking she wouldn't make it big.

She returned the smile with a sweet one of her own, and Austin could feel his heart beat quicken with an unknown emotion. "I guess I just wanted to prove him wrong, so I did." Her expression brightened further as inspiration struck her. "You know what? Let's do it! Let's make another song."

"Yes!" the blonde teen cheered in excitement. He went to hug Ally in gratitude, but paused when she stuck out her hand to shake. Reversing the action, they paused again when they couldn't match up with each other.

"It's okay," Ally sheepishly said, dismissing the hug/hand shake. Austin nodded in agreement, then led Ally up to her practice room to work.

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**That Night**_

"Okay, so how about this?" Ally asked her blonde companion, her slim fingers tickling the piano keys as she hummed along with the melody.

Austin bobbed his head, grinning. He'd never thought his wildest dream would come true- to actually be sitting and creating a song with Ally-D. His heart was thumping so erratically, he was shocked she couldn't hear it.

"I like it, but how about trying to add this in somewhere?" His suggestion followed his own fingers gliding across his end of the piano, playing the musical notes he could see forming in his mind. He'd always been talented in playing instruments, just never lyrics that were... Well, _good_.

Ally nodded along, smiling. "Yeah, let's put that in. I like it!" Grabbing the sheet music, she added them to their forming song. "So far we got most of the music down, but we still need lyrics."

"That would be your department," he pointed out, turning to glance in her direction. "Got any ideas in that brilliant mind of yours?"

Grinning modestly, she replied shyly, "I may have one."

Austin grinned back. "Well then, get to writing!"

_**+++Austin and Ally:**_

_**Close to Midnight**_

Austin had fallen asleep on the counter while Ally had been writing lyrics down in her private songbook, so she decided to be nice and wake him up…

By banging some cymbals together. Oh, did she mention it would be pretty close to his ear?

Needless to say, she cracked up when she saw him startle awake and fall onto the ground with a yelp.

"That's what you get for falling asleep on me," she stated, laughing while putting the cymbals down carefully.

A second later, Ally was the one yelping as Austin started chasing her around the store, swearing vengeance in the form of tickle torture.

_**+++Austin and Ally:**_

_**Next Scene**_

After being tickled to the point of tears, the two went back to work. Ally decided to lean against the piano as she wrote in her book and Austin started playing different songs to keep them awake on said instrument.

The petite brunette couldn't help but watch the way his fingers easily slid across the keys; flawless with a certain poise she didn't normally see, except when she played, yet it wasn't the same. His fingers were able to hit the keys harder, thus making soft music turn into something _alive_.

The notes he played simply thrummed through her, almost like thunder entering her system- it was positively invigorating.

But, she'd never tell him that. Not yet, at least.

_**+++Austin and Ally:**_

_**After Midnight**_

Austin continued playing the song they had so far on the music sheets, but he couldn't think of what should come next and it was frustrating him.

Scribbling down another set of musical notes, he looked over his work before wrinkling his nose in distaste. No, that wouldn't do; this was an Ally-D song. It had to be perfect, like all her other work.

Crumpling the paper, he turned to see what said songstress was doing. She was sitting on the counter, songbook in hand and pencil scratching across the paper.

Glancing down at the paper ball he'd created, he suddenly threw it at her in hopes of hitting her to gain her attention.

No such luck- he really needed to work on his aim because that shot went **wide**. It did, however, catch her attention.

Ally turned sparkling chocolate eyes onto him, raising a brow to ask what he was doing. His only response was to grin cheekily while turning back to the piano. It would have worked, but he ended up sliding off the piano bench instead, thus landing on his butt.

Although she didn't say anything, he could tell she was suppressing a laugh. Not wanting her to notice the embarrassed flush to his cheeks, he sat Indian-style and kept his gaze locked on the tiled ground, hoping the floor would open up to swallow him.

However, that didn't stop the grin from curving his lips up. Sure, he embarrassed himself in front of someone he admired, but her smile was well worth it.

_**+++Austin and Ally:**_

_**Last Scene**_

The teen duo now sat side-by-side again, both their hands playing the piano and their heads bobbing to the beat they could both hear now in their heads.

Hitting the last note, they both sighed dreamily at their completed work.

"That was awesome!" Ally exclaimed, practically jumping to her feet in excitement. "You are gonna rock _The Helen Show_ today!"

Austin enjoyed the way her doe-like eyes sparkled as she looked at him. He couldn't help the grin that touched his mouth as he replied, "Well, it's not like I did it by myself. This is all thanks to you, Ally." He smirked smugly as he added, "Oh, and it's _we're_, not _me_."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, clearly confused but not losing her smile.

The tall blonde grabbed her hand gently, his hazel-brown eyes staring at her intently. "This wouldn't even be happening if it weren't for you. I want you to come with me to _The Helen Show_."

"Really?" she asked, stunned. She was used to people just using her until they didn't need her anymore; she wasn't used to someone being so **nice** to her, not in this way at least.

Austin Moon was a guy she should get used to for firsts, it seemed.

Said blonde gave her a look that said he thought she was crazy for suggesting otherwise. "Of course. I wouldn't even be on _The Helen Show_ if it weren't for you," he answered. "Now, come on, we better go and get ready. We have to be at the studio in about an hour."

Ally didn't protest when he kept a hold of her hand and began leading them out of Sonic Boom. The two were stalled, however, when Trish and Dez made an appearance.

"Did you guys finish in time?" Trish asked.

"Yeah, we finished with just enough time to get ready," Ally answered giddily.

Trish and Dez congratulated the two, and the former held out a giant mug that was red (Ally's favorite color) with orange lettering (Austin's favorite color).

Ally took the cup, the size and weight needing both of her hands to hold it securely. With a smile, she read what it said for Austin, "_Congratulations, we knew you could do it!_ Aw, thanks, Trish and Dez."

"Yeah, thanks, guys," Austin added, liking how thoughtful their friends were, especially since he and Ally knew they didn't get along.

Dez held out another cup; this one a nice dark blue with white lettering. "Yeah, we got you this mug, too!" he said, grinning happily.

Austin took the first mug from Ally so she could grab the second one.

"Aw, you guys shouldn't have- _Sorry! Better luck next time._" The brunette gave her friends a dry look, as did Austin, "Really? You got us two mugs that say the opposite thing?"

Trish glared at Dez, who was sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "Well, we didn't want to assume, and you _weren't supposed to see that one_," she said in an annoyed tone directed at the ginger haired teen.

Austin cut in before an argument could break out between their friends. "We really need to get going if we're planning on making it in time. Let's go!"

The other three agreed and quickly made it out of Sonic Boom, all promising to meet outside of the studio building after they got ready.

Unknown to the blonde, a certain brunette couldn't help but let her gaze linger for a second longer on his taller form before she quickly turned away once more.

_**+++The Helen Show:**_

_**With Austin and Ally- Backstage**_

Ally affectionately ran her fingers gently over the piano's white and black keys, her gaze longing and tender as she remembered all the good memories she had concerning this particular instrument. Sure, she wasn't in the spotlight anymore, but that didn't mean her love for it had disappeared.

That was how Austin found her and he couldn't help the smile that curved his lips up. Based on her expression alone, he wasn't going to feel bad or guilty about what he planned to do next.

"Ally, we have a problem," he whisper-shouted, not wanting to disturb the current filming taking place behind the curtain they were hidden in back of. He made sure to put just the right amount of panic and agitation in his voice to further his act.

The petite brunette looked up quickly, her chocolate eyes concerned. "What, what's wrong, Austin?" she worriedly asked, taking a step closer to him.

He waved his hands around, stating, "The piano player is sick, so can't perform. We need someone to play for the song!"

"What?" she squeaked out, getting an idea of where this was headed.

Austin took her hand, staring deeply into her eyes. "You have to play the piano, Ally."

Before his request was even finished, she was shaking her head. "No, no, I can't. I told you- I'm not interested in the music industry anymore." Was it just her or was her tone lacking conviction when she said it this time?

He whipped out his secret weapon; the puppy-dog eyes. Hey, it was only fair. Ally had her sweet, doe-like eyes, why couldn't he have his puppy-dog pout? Maybe she wasn't aware she had such a look, but he sure did!

Ally instantly froze where she stood when she saw his pleadingly adorable look. She couldn't even squeeze her eyes closed; that cheater!

Sighing, she acquiesced, "Fine, fine. I'll play the piano, but the curtain has to stay closed."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" the blonde exclaimed, happily bouncing where he stood. In all his excitement, he went to give Ally a hug but she held out a hand to shake. After a brief pause, they reversed their actions but stopped again.

"It's okay," the brunette said, waving a dismissive hand when they failed (again) at the hand shake/hug. "It's the thought that counts."

Austin grinned, "Yeah, totally. We'll get it eventually."

Helen's voice caught their attention, and they listened as she announced, "Next, after this commercial break, we'll have Internet sensation _Austin Moon_ perform another original song for us! Stay tuned!"

Mentioned teen rubbed his hands eagerly together while Ally took a seat behind the piano to get ready.

"Good luck, Austin," she said, smiling at him.

Austin gave her one of his charmingly boyish grins. "With you, I don't need to worry about anything," he assured and, with a wink, disappeared.

Unknown to him, Ally's cheeks darkened to a pretty pink.

_**+++The Helen Show:**_

_**With Austin (and Ally)**_

Austin soaked up the roaring applause he received as he made his way on-stage. He grinned and waved, a microphone in hand.

"Hey, everyone," he greeted, "Thanks for coming out again to see me. I'm here to perform another song for you, _Break Down the Walls_. This song is special to me because it was written by my friend, Ally Dawson. She's also the one who wrote _Double Take_."

From behind the curtain, Ally smiled as she got the recognition she'd wanted. Austin was turning into a real sweet-

"And here she is now!"

Ruefully, she thought, _Well, so much for being a real sweetheart._

Her thought trailed off right when the curtains blocking her were pulled and, suddenly, Ally was faced with a curious and stunned audience. She could vaguely see Austin on the side, his arm extended as if presenting a prize, which she supposed was her.

"Oh my God, folks," Helen exclaimed in happiness, easily recognizing Ally-D's signature attire, "It's _Ally-D_! Ally-D and Austin Moon are here _together_! On **my** show!"

Ally calmly waved at the audience, her years of experience in the spotlight kicking back in after being gone for a while. She smiled and everyone started shouting in excitement at seeing the other Internet sensation.

Austin came closer, a proud smile on his face. "See, this was my plan all along," he said smugly, "You're welcome."

The brunette couldn't help the incredulous laugh that escaped. "But now they think I'm coming back into show business," she pointed out, though that wasn't going to help her current situation.

He shrugged, sliding into the seat next to her casually. "So? Let them think what they want. You deserve this, especially after I indirectly stole your song."

"Fine," she gave in, raising a challenging brow at the blonde, "You know, they came here for another performance. We shouldn't disappoint them, right?"

Austin grinned, liking where she was going with this. He'd never tell her, but another one of his biggest dreams had been to perform with her, not just create a song. "Nah, we shouldn't."

The audience dropped into silence the moment Ally's slim fingers touched the keys of the piano. The melody that came out was beautiful and captivating, like the songwriter/singer herself.

Austin stayed seated, his hand bringing up the microphone to his mouth to start singing.

**Break Down the Walls:**

"_Whoa, Yeah  
Stop, hiding out in the shadows  
Scared to show the world you exist  
Don't, lock yourself in the darkness  
The world is so much brighter than this  
Ya if you never take the shock  
You never gonna win  
So turn it all around and"_

Ally grinned, silently admitting that maybe she had missed performing in front of an audience more than she'd thought, although she wasn't actually singing. She also had a feeling that her opinion had changed slightly because of a certain blonde boy sitting next to her.

Of course, she'd never tell him that. He may get used to her performing alongside him.

"_Break down the walls Whoa  
Come on and give it everything you get  
Take a chance, make a stand and  
Break, break, break down walls Whoa  
Break down the walls Whoa"_

Said blonde couldn't help the grin that stretched his lips up as he continued to sing. He wasn't sure if his face would ever stop smiling after this, especially if being on-stage with Ally gave him this feeling of happiness and blood-pumping adrenaline. He loved it!

After getting her to play piano with people watching, his next step involved her agreeing to be his partner.

"_Break down the walls Whoa  
Come on and take a chance make a stand and  
Break, break, break down the walls  
Break down the walls"_

That shouldn't be too hard, right?

_**+++The End+++**_

_**Until next time!**_

_~Thank you for reading my first chapter of "Doe Eyes and Puppy-Dog Pouts"! Please review and tell me what you thought, good and/or bad! I would really appreciate it!~_

**PS: You can follow me on Twitter at azn_m**


	2. A Billion Hits

"Doe Eyes & Puppy-Dog Pouts"

_A Billion Hits_

**Disclaimer: check Chapter One. It's the same thing- Do not own**

**Note**: I didn't notice before, but I changed Austin's eye color from hazel to chocolate, so if it switches from time-to-time throughout the story, sorry!

_**~Special thanks to LoveShipper for being the first to review my story! :3 You're awesome!~**_

**Pairing**: Ally Dawson/Austin Moon

**Song(s) included**: "_A Billion Hits_" by Ross Lynch

* * *

_**+++After the Helen Show:**_

_**Two Days Later- Ally's Practice Room**_

Ally was talking to Trish as the two best friends made their way upstairs. "I'm telling you, Trish," the former was saying, smiling, "I'm never seeing Austin again. Our performance was a one-time thing. What does he need me for anyway?"

Trish stared at her like she was slow. "Come on, Ally. You can't be serious! He's totally gonna come back. Just wait and see."

"I highly doubt that-" The brunette paused when she opened the door and froze in the doorway. "Austin?" she asked, stunned. "Dez? What are you guys doing here?" Her gaze wandered around the room, now noticing all the changes. "And, what happened to the practice room?"

Austin eagerly stood in front of the petite girl, his hands rubbing together. "I used the money from _The Helen Show_ to remodel our practice room," he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Ally cocked her head to the side, confused. "_Our_?" she questioned, slight dread expanding in her stomach. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I was hoping we could be partners," he suggested, then continued speaking before she could interrupt. "You're a song writer who doesn't want the spotlight. I'm a performer who loves to be on-stage. We're the perfect match! What do you say?"

"Spend time with you?" she asked, trying to wrap her mind around that one little fact. "Spend _more_ time with you?" Did her voice just squeak? _Partners?_

Austin shrugged casually. "Sure, why not? That's what partners do, right?" Unknown to Ally, his heart was thumping rapidly in his chest. He wasn't sure what to call the emotion behind it, but he did know he wanted to get to know Ally Dawson better, not just Ally-D.

Trish cut into their conversation, smiling encouragingly. "Ally, this would be a great opportunity. People already think you're coming back into show business; why not like this?"

"That is a good point," the brunette murmured, her chocolate gaze wandering back to Austin. She smiled at his positively hopeful look, and she slowly nodded. "Okay, we're partners."

"Yes!" Austin cheered, fist-pumping the air. Going to hug Ally, the two stopped when she stuck out her hand to shake.

The two paused, knowing this situation was all-too familiar. Laughing, they reversed their actions and stopped again. Having thought the other would stay, they'd done what they'd been doing ever since meeting.

"You know what?" Ally said, dropping her arms completely. Austin copied her without question. "It's still the thought that counts. We'll get it."

The blonde chuckled. "Yeah, sooner or later," he agreed.

Trish broke into the conversation again, a happy grin on her face. "Guess who got a job as Austin's new manager?" she sang out.

Austin nodded, his thumb pointing at the short Latina. "Yeah, you should have seen her resume," he said in amusement. "It was, like, eight pages long. She has a lot of job experience."

"I promised his fans he'd have a new video out every Friday," Trish added, "Oh, and I don't work on Fridays or any other weekdays."

Austin and Ally shared an amused look, both laughing.

Becoming partners was definitely going to be interesting. Maybe even life-changing…

_**+++One Month Later:**_

_**Sonic Boom**_

Ally was desperately trying to sell a customer a beautiful violin, but she kept getting distracted by Austin's and Dez's need to play badminton with a white birdie and two banjos right over her head. Really, she should be keeping a tab on them for all the damage they caused her instruments…

"Head's up!" Dez called out, his hand striking his banjo down onto the counter, thus breaking the string and wood object in half. However, his attention was focused on the little birdie he'd missed, a frown pulling his mouth down. "Ah, darn. I missed."

"Can you excuse me?" Ally politely asked the woman she'd been assisting. Turning away, she scowled at the ruined instrument. "Don't you guys have anything better to do with your time?"

Austin and Dez gave her blank looks before the latter answered.

"Well, I would be filming Austin's new video, but a certain _someone_ hasn't written any new songs yet."

The blonde nodded in agreement with his friend. "Yeah, Ally. It's been a month since we've become partners, but you haven't been writing anything," he said, eyes beginning to widen with panic. "People are already forgetting who I am!"

Ally rolled her chocolate colored eyes. "That's insane. Who would-?"

"Oh my God, look!" a girl's voice squealed in excitement, "It's Ralphie Hayes! From the dog food commercial."

Austin gave his songwriting partner a horrified look, his wild hand gestures easily saying, _See, I told you!_

However, the petite brunette didn't look convinced. She shrugged. "It's just a coincidence, Austin. Calm down! Seriously, who would forget someone like you?"

The same girl from earlier, along with her friend, gasped in amazement when they caught sight of Dez, "Oh my God! It's the guy who ate that twenty pound hamburger!"

Dez stopped rummaging around in his backpack to look at them, smiling at being recognized. "Hello, ladies," he greeted, as smoothly as he could.

"Can I have an autograph?" the squealer requested, giving her friend an excited glance.

"Sure." While the girl turned to present her back, moving her hair aside to expose her brown suede jacket, the ginger haired boy brought out a bottle of ketchup and began initialing on the back.

Meanwhile, Ally wrinkled her nose in disgust and Austin turned panicked eyes onto her form.

"See? Everyone is forgetting about me. You need to create a new song, now!" he exclaimed.

Again, she thought Austin was being ridiculous. "Oh, come on, you can't be-"

"-Ally! You need to make a new song and fast!" Trish's voice cut her off, catching everyone's' attention. "Austin just got bumped down by this guy named Ralphie Hayes. Do you have new lyrics yet?"

As the brunette groaned in frustration, the blonde Internet sensation gave her a dry look.

Running her fingers through her chestnut colored locks, which was back to being slightly curled; Ally made her way back behind the counter to pick up her private songbook to wave it at her three friends. "Look, I've been too busy to come up with anything. You can't keep rushing me!"

Dez scoffed, smirking, "What could you possibly be busy with?" It was a known fact that Ally Dawson didn't have much of a social life, especially since she'd stepped out of the spotlight to be a regular teen. She preferred it that way since it meant nobody bothered her.

At least until a certain blonde boy entered her life…

"I've been busy helping out at the store, for one thing," she answered, a semi-offended look on her features, "There's also school and homework to think about, not to mention book club."

Austin chuckled, wondering, "What could be so hard about book club?"

Giving him a superior smirk, Ally dragged out the heavy textbook-like literature piece she'd been assigned and slapped it down onto the counter. "I have to read this by tomorrow."

She took pleasure in the way her friends' eyes widened in disbelief and horror.

Austin squeaked out, "Tomorrow of what year?"

Dez shook his head. "That's no excuse. What about a song you've already written? Just use one of those."

His suggestion was met with a firm shake of Ally's head. "Those are incomplete and personal. Besides, they're just random lines I thought of and jotted down." Frustration was quickly eating away at her patience as her friends began to protest and whine.

She held up a hand, her other almost viciously opening her songbook. "You guys really want a song that bad?" she snapped out.

"Yes," they all answered in exasperation, like they were talking to a stubborn child.

Pencil about ready to snap in half with the pressure being applied to it, Ally scribbled words out she didn't know where they came from. All she knew was that she wanted them to get off her back so she could find some peace of mind.

Ripping the paper out, she balled it up and threw it at Austin, who caught it after it bounced off his shoulder.

She pouted when he smiled at her, saying, "See, that wasn't so hard," while straightening it to read.

"Uh, Ally, I have no idea what you wrote down."

Trish and Dez looked over Austin's shoulders to see if they could make it out, but they both shook their heads.

"What kind of lyrics are these?" Trish asked her friend, curious.

Ally rolled her eyes, wishing they'd just go away. Her father couldn't have picked a worse time to go to a convention, thus leaving her in charge of the store.

"The only reason it's illegible is because you guys were rushing me to write something down. I mean," she said defensively, "I went to Calligraphy camp!"

Austin and Dez laughed.

"Calligraphy camp?" Austin asked, incredulous. "First, it's book club then Calligraphy camp. Now we know you're making stuff up."

Ally shot a glare at the blonde before walking away. She had customers to help; she didn't have time to deal with people who will just nag her until they get their way.

_**+++Practice Room:**_

_**Later that Day**_

Ally opened the door to her (and Austin's) practice room only to freeze where she stood. "What is going on here?" she demanded to know, jaw dropping open at the sight before her. "Is that a _kangaroo_?"

Dez and Austin turned to smile at the brunette, the former answering, "Yeah, I figured it would be a great idea if we had a kangaroo, like how your lyrics say."

Ally gave him a confused look, brows furrowed. "Where in my lyrics did I put there was a kangaroo?"

Dez held up his hands in defense. "Hey, I didn't say anything about your lyrics being _good_." Snapping his fingers, he turned his attention onto Austin just as quickly as it had shifted. "How about we have the kangaroo play the guitar for the video?"

Austin instantly nodded, rubbing his hands eagerly together. "Great idea, Dez!" Grabbing a nearby guitar, he offered it to the Australian animal. "Here, buddy, you wanna play the guitar?"

Ally watched with mounting horror as the kangaroo sniffed the expensive instrument before slapping it out of her blonde friend's hands, which caused him to yelp and jump back before he got struck himself.

"I guess he doesn't want to play the guitar," Austin commented nervously, eyes warily glued to the animal.

The brunette was about to scream with frustration, but Trish walking into the room cut her off.

"Guess who got a job at the dry cleaners?" the Latina sang out, a black leather jacket flung over her shoulder casually. "By the way, Austin, I got you this jacket to use in your video, like in Ally's lyrics."

This time said songwriter did groan out loud. "I didn't put that there was a leather jacket in the song," she said, rolling her eyes at the entire situation. "It said, '_I like it when you hang around_'."

Trish shrugged. "Oh well, at least Austin will still look cool." She turned to give said boy a stern glare. "I need it back before eight, though. I sort of borrowed the jacket from a guy named Face Puncher."

"Trish," Austin gasped, backing away from the girl and her leather jacket. "Why would you borrow something when the owner has a name like _Face Puncher_?"

"Hey, do you want people to remember who you are? Trust me, this will work."

Trying to look on the bright side of things, Ally started walking closer to the kangaroo, commenting, "Well, at least the kangaroo is cute –I just stepped in kangaroo poop." Her nose wrinkled in disgust, she lightly hopped away to clean up the mess. _So much for looking at the bright side._

"Hold on," Dez exclaimed, catching their attention, "How do you know it was kangaroo poop? I mean, Trish was in here earlier." He sent the Latina in question a suspicious glare, which she returned with a heated one of her own.

"Don't make me slap those freckles off your face," she hissed.

He gasped, hands covering said facial marks. "My freckles are my friends! Can you say the same about your poop?"

Trish placed the jacket down, her gaze promising extreme pain when she got her hands on the ginger haired boy.

"Guys, guys," Ally protested, playing peacekeeper. "Calm down. We don't have time for this."

Austin nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we have to work on my video."

Ally gave him an exasperated glare. "Can we worry about something other than your video for, like, a second? Like, how are we supposed to repair that guitar the kangaroo broke?"

"We wouldn't have to worry about it if you'd written a new song before now," he shot back, his frustration more than clear.

Her chocolate eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Are you saying this is my fault?" she demanded to know, hands resting lightly on her hips in indignation.

Austin released a sigh, taking a seat on the piano bench. "No, of course not," he answered, "I'm just saying, if you'd written the song faster, we wouldn't be in this position." He stopped, a light bulb seemingly going off in his head, and he stood back up. "Now that I'm saying this out loud, yeah, I guess I am blaming you."

Her mouth open to retort, Ally was interrupted when Trish let out an alarmed shriek. "Oh no, the kangaroo is eating Face Puncher's jacket!"

The singer and songwriter whipped their attention onto said animal. As plain as day, they watched with sick fascination as the kangaroo managed to pull the jacket to the ground where he preceded to chew on the black leather and shiny spikes.

"Someone grab the jacket," Trish panicked, her hands waving helplessly.

"I got it," Dez said, reaching down to snatch it away. However, he didn't count on the kangaroo to also hold onto it, which ensued in a tug-of-war contest between man and animal.

"Let it go, let it go, let it go," the ginger haired teen kept chanting, hoping the kangaroo would listen and release the jacket.

When the kangaroo finally let go, Dez fell backwards, hands releasing the precious jacket. Austin, Ally, and Trish had no choice but to watch as it landed in a tub of something golden-brown.

"Oh no," the Latina moaned in despair, fingers reaching down to grab the jacket out and hopefully save it. "_Ew_, what is this? It's all sticky."

Dez popped up beside her, a smile on his face. "It's caramel. I wasn't sure if Ally wrote _caramel_ or _camel_, so I ordered both."

Ally gaped, "You ordered a camel too?"

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "What? No, of course not!"

A sudden knock had the four teenagers freezing where they stood, but Dez was the one to open the door. A man stood outside, his clothes suggesting he was some sort of zoo keeper. In his hands he held a long piece of rope, which was dangling from something that was too tall for the doorway.

"Hey, did someone order a camel?" he inquired curiously.

"No," Dez instantly answered, slamming the door closed before more could be revealed. Leaning against the wooden barrier, he gave his three friends a sheepish smile, like he was trying to convince them nothing had happened.

Needing to prioritize, Ally looked back down to the broken guitar. "Okay, what are we gonna do about the guitar? My dad is gonna freak if he finds out we broke a really expensive instrument."

"Forget the guitar," Trish said, "What are we gonna do about the jacket? We have to clean it somehow!"

Ally grit her teeth. "Aren't you working at a dry cleaners?" she hinted.

"Oh, right, why didn't I think of that?" the Latina replied, tapping her forehead in a _duh_-way. "How do you clean caramel off?"

"I better go with you," the brunette said, then turned her gaze onto Austin. "I need you to watch the store while we're gone. I'll find out how much it'll cost to repair the guitar, so just man the register."

Austin nodded in understanding. "Man, I can't wait until this is all over, then we can get back to making my video," he couldn't help but say, but Ally ignored him and left with Trish, completely ignoring the man with the camel as they passed.

_**+++Dry Cleaners:**_

_**With Ally and Trish**_

While scrubbing the caramel from the black leather, Ally emptied her frustrations onto Trish, who stood to the side in case Ally needed anything handed to her.

"I can't believe how Austin is being; how inconsiderate. He can't just expect lyrics to just flow out of me, like a river after a rain of tears." She paused, eyes brightening, "Oh, that's good. I have to write that down."

Reaching for her songbook, she jotted down the line.

Trish teased, "Maybe you'll write it down in handwriting we'll be able to read this time."

Ally paused, shooting her best friend a glare. "Can you read this?" she asked, scribbling something down before showing it to Trish.

"Yes, I can" she answered, then added, "And that is not a nice word!"

Feeling rather proud of herself, Ally went back to scrubbing the jacket. "Anyway, why can't he realize that I have other responsibilities and that I'm busy with other stuff, so can't work on songs twenty-four-seven? That it can't be rushed?"

"Yeah, yeah, totally inconsiderate," Trish agreed in a distracted voice. "Now, hurry up before someone comes in."

Hearing stomping footsteps, the girls panicked and Trish ended up throwing the jacket in a random direction behind the counter right when the bell above the door dinged with a new customer.

"I'm here to pick up my jacket," a menacing voice stated, which caused Ally and Trish to slightly cringe in their spots.

Trying to lessen the tension in the small shop, Ally commented nervously, "You're Face Puncher? You don't look like a Face Puncher. You look more like a Hand Holder or even a Hug Giver!" She extended her arms, like she expected him to give her a hug.

Face Puncher growled, which caused Ally to whimper in defeat and step behind Trish.

"C-Can I have your ticket?" Trish asked, a fake smile on her face.

The burly man slapped it down onto the counter, and Trish cautiously picked it up, like she expected the innocent paper to bite her.

"Oh, I see the problem here," she said, laughing nervously, "I read your ticket wrong. I thought you would be coming in at eight, not right now. Your jacket isn't ready –Sorry!"

Face Puncher growled again, his pointer finger coming up to point menacingly at Trish (and Ally). "What kind of employee are you?" he barked out, more than demanding an answer.

"A horrible one," Trish immediately squeaked out, "Ask anyone! They'll tell you the same thing."

Ally felt the need to defend her friend. "Well, if she just applied herself more, I'm sure she'd be a great employee-"

"Ally!"

"-She's the **worst**. Ask anyone!"

Face Puncher growled again, but backed off. "Fine, I'll be back at eight, but I'll have Mad Dog with me." He leaned closer, which caused the girls to cower away. "And Mad Dog **hates** waiting." With that, he turned and stomped out of the shop.

"Oh God, we have to get this jacket cleaned," Trish stated, her panic making her voice squeak even more than her confrontation with Face Puncher.

Ally pointed to a sterling-silver washing machine she hadn't noticed before. "How about that heavy duty washer? That should do the trick," she eagerly suggested.

"Yeah, good idea, Ally," the Latina said, jogging over to it. Shoving the jacket in, she used her buttocks to make it fit before slamming the door closed and pressing random buttons until it started.

"You know how to use one of those?" the brunette asked in surprise.

Trish began to turn to face her friend. "No, of course not," she scoffed. The bell dinging made them freeze again, afraid Face Puncher came back because he changed his mind.

For several seconds they didn't hear anything, so cautiously turned at the same time to see who it was.

"You see the kangaroo, too, right?" Trish muttered to Ally, who nodded.

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**With Austin and Dez**_

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know," Austin said to three different customers, his voice starting to panic with how many people were there. Turning to another customer, he loudly stated, "No, this isn't the ear doctor!"

Dez suddenly jumped out of the practice room, a panicked look on his face. "Austin, I need some help up here!" he called out.

"I can't," the blonde called back, "I promised Ally I would watch the store." Turning his head to face the front, he gestured wildly with his hands at a customer. "No, this isn't the eye doctor!"

His help was rewarded as the guy wearing glasses nodded but ended up turning right into two racks of multiple cymbals. Austin had no choice but to wince as it all crashed onto the tiled floor. Hopefully Ally wouldn't notice the mess…

Austin turned back to face Dez, his gaze hopeless. "I can't just let some stranger run the store! You're on your own, man."

Dez groaned in misery but went back into the practice room.

Austin turned to pick up the store's phone, but a loud crash had him whipping to face the first person he laid his eyes on. "Hey stranger! You're in charge!"

Hopping over the counter, he called out, "Don't worry, buddy! I'm coming to help!" without another thought.

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**Practice Room**_

Ally burst through the door, demanding to know, "Why is there a stranger manning the register?"

Austin and Dez froze where they stood, which was in the middle of a mostly destroyed room.

The former laughed nervously, "Ally, you wouldn't guess what happened."

"The kangaroo got loose," she said, hands resting on her hips.

Austin smiled. "Wow, you're good at this game."

Shaking her head at his incompetence, she asked, "How did the kangaroo get loose to begin with?"

Dez happily answered, "I was trying to strap a camera to its pouch but I stepped on its tail, which woke it from a deep, dark slumber." He shrugged carelessly. "Then, it totally freaked out for no apparent reason."

"Why would you attach a camera to the kangaroo?" Ally asked, wanting to get their story straight before she killed them.

"We thought it would be cool for Austin's video."

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, the petite brunette stated, "We'll have to worry about that later. For now, I managed to look up the price for repairing the guitar. We need to figure out a way to raise five-hundred dollars before my dad gets back; otherwise, I'm toast."

"If we don't get something up on my website, my career is toast," Austin added, which didn't help their situation nor Ally's temper.

"Is anyone else craving toast right now?" Dez asked, a thoughtful look on his face.

In response, he got three different pairs of eyes glaring at him into silence and sheepish head rubbing.

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**With Austin and Ally**_

Austin caught Ally's wrist gently as she made her way back behind the counter. "Hey, I'm sorry about nagging you about the song," he apologized, a truly regretful expression on his boyish face. "I didn't mean for things to get so out of hand."

Ally smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Austin," she said, voice softening, "And, I know you didn't mean for all of this to happen. It's not your fault. You're just nervous about people forgetting you."

"Yeah, I am nervous about that," he admitted, which would be a first. Austin Moon was never nervous about anything. At least, that's what he liked to believe. "I guess it's because I don't exactly have a career yet, so I panicked when people started recognizing me as the dog food commercial guy instead."

Leaning forward to make sure their eyes stayed connected, she said, "To me, you would be impossible to forget." A teasing grin touched her face and she added, "And it's not because I see you every day."

When she straightened, she completely missed the way Austin's cheeks flushed crimson. She also missed the dopey smile curving his lips upward, and he was glad she couldn't hear his heart pounding inside his ribcage.

He still couldn't put a name to this emotion Ally infused him with, but he knew he liked it. Maybe more than he should…

Mentally shaking his head to clear it, Austin turned his attention onto Dez, who was rushing his way inside with a bucket of something in his hands. The ginger haired teen was also throwing what looked to be food onto the ground, all leading to Sonic Boom.

"Dez, what are you doing?" Ally moaned out in despair.

He scoffed, "Everyone knows the way to attract a kangaroo is by leaving a trail of mangoes, fish sticks, and croutons."

Austin's eyes widened and he pointed wildly behind his best friend. "Um, Dez?" he called out, trying to get Dez to turn around. "I don't think that's how you attract _kangaroos_."

Ally watched with an unreadable expression as Dez turned around and finally caught sight of the llama. She would admit that it was rather cute, but she'd thought the same of their little Australian friend and then stepped into his poop. She wasn't taking any chances on this new visitor.

Dez groaned. "Oh, this must be food to attract _llamas_, not kangaroos." Throwing the bucket down in frustration, he stomped away to think up another plan.

Austin snapped his fingers as a sudden thought came to him. "Hey, Dez, didn't you put your camera on the kangaroo? And isn't it hooked up to our computers?"

"That's right," he exclaimed, instantly pulling his laptop open and accessing the camera's live feed. Ally and Austin crowded around, wanting to see where their little friend escaped to.

Ally pointed out, "Oh, he's in the food court!"

Dez jumped away, starting to sprint as fast as he could, eyes and hands glued to his laptop. "Don't worry, little guy! I'm coming to get you!"

Trish walked in right when Dez was about to pass her. She was stuck as he circled her a couple of times before disappearing, shouting at people to get out of his way. Shaking her head, she smiled at Austin and Ally, who were back behind the counter.

"Guess who solved all of our problems," she sang out, grinning.

Ally returned the grin, excitement beginning to bubble in her stomach at the positive sounding news. "You did," she said confidently.

Austin gave his songwriter an impressed look. "Wow, Ally, you're great at this guessing game."

She waved his compliment modestly away, asking Trish, "So, how did you solve our problems?"

The Latina placed a heart-shaped purse onto the counter and opened it. "I sold one-hundred tickets for a private Austin Moon performance to be done here, in the store, for six bucks a piece."

Taking out the money, she handed it to Ally, who gratefully accepted it. "Here's five-hundred."

"But, you said you sold it for six bucks a ticket," Ally said, confused, "What did you do with the rest of the money?" Not that she cared, but she was curious.

In a semi-defensive tone, Trish answered, "What? I needed something to carry the money around in." Her hand lifted up the heart-shaped purse to add emphasis.

Not surprised, Ally chuckled as she safely put the money away.

Austin was positively beaming with happiness and adrenaline. "One-hundred people," he said, turning to look at Ally, "_One-hundred_ people are coming to see **me**. This is so cool!"

Ally patted his arm, grinning back. She couldn't help it; his smile was contagious. "See, and you were worried people forgot all about you."

"Yeah," he said, "Thanks, Ally. I gotta go get ready. One-hundred people are coming to see me!" With that, he hopped the counter (again) and ran up to the practice room.

The brunette looked at her best friend, still beaming. "This is great. I'm so happy for Austin. He's so excited about such a huge crowd coming out to see him."

"We~ll," Trish drew out nervously, her voice going high-pitched as she paced to stand on the other side of the store.

Ally frowned suspiciously. "That was a long 'well'. What are you hiding?"

Trish paced again, this time ending up near the entrance to Ally's work station. "We~ll," she said again, shrugging, but stopped when she saw the glare Ally was giving her. "Sorry. It's just –They're not coming out to see Austin, _per say_.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Trish began picking at the edge of her shirt. "I kind of promised that they would be able to take pictures with the kangaroo," she sheepishly admitted, "And… You."

Ally distinctly felt her jaw drop. "What?" she fairly breathed out.

"Well, Austin is more like the opening act!" Trish said, trying to lighten the mood. "The _unannounced_ opening act, but the opening act nonetheless."

"Trish," she protested, "Austin is gonna be devastated when he finds out. How could you let this happen?"

"He doesn't have to find out! Just don't say anything to him."

Ally knew for a fact that that would be harder than it sounded.

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**With Ally and Trish**_

Trish laughed hysterically as she watched the live feed of the kangaroo beating up Dez, who was helpless to protect himself.

"Ooh, that is not somewhere you want a kangaroo to kick you," she said, wincing but never looking away from the screen.

Not hearing anything from Ally, who had been watching every now and then over her shoulder, the Latina tore her eyes away from Dez's beat-down to see what her best friend was up to. She found the brunette scribbling lyrics down in her songbook, her lips curved up slightly as she continued to compose music like there was no tomorrow.

Grabbing her laptop, she placed it down near Ally. "Hey, what are you doing?" she curiously asked.

Ally glanced up quickly before returning to her work. "I'm just working on some new lyrics for Austin. I want this to be his best performance since they're not exactly here to see him." Her voice had saddened towards the end, and she sighed. "I feel so torn, Trish. I want to tell him the truth, but I don't want to ruin his good mood. He's just so excited about today's performance. I don't want to hurt his feelings when he finds out."

"I'm torn, too, Ally," Trish said sympathetically, her hand patting Ally on the shoulder. "I mean, I need Dez to capture the kangaroo, but I don't want this to end." This, being Dez's defeat by said animal. She laughed again when something on the screen caught her attention.

Ally half-heartedly laughed along, but both girls winced in the next second. "Oh, that's gonna leave a mark," she hissed out, only imaging how much pain the ginger haired boy must be in.

"Definitely," the Latina agreed.

Closing the laptop for now, Trish turned to take her 'shift' at watching the store for Ally, knowing her best friend needed to speak to Austin. If she knew Ally the way she did, Trish had a feeling Ally would do anything to make tonight perfect for their blonde friend. That was just the type of person Ally Dawson was, after all.

She paused, brows furrowing as something she'd just noticed caught her attention.

"Hey, you see the llama, too, right?"

_**+++Practice Room:**_

_**With Austin and Ally**_

Ally walked in as Austin was doing some vocal warm-ups to make sure his voice sounded perfect for his live performance that would be starting any minute now.

Seeing her reflection from the mirror, Austin grinned and stopped singing. "Hey, Ally," he greeted, turning to give her his undivided attention. "What's up?"

She closed the door, her song clutched nervously in her hands. "I just wrote you some new lyrics," she answered, trying to suppress her nervous energy. "I mean, it's the least I could do, seeing as how everyone isn't here to see you…"

Austin gave her a confused look, although his eyes didn't stray far from the papers she'd handed him.

"-Fail," she quickly added, eyes widening in panic. "Everyone didn't come here to see you **fail**. That's what I meant. Gotta go."

Turning on her heel, she fast-walked to the door, wishing the floor would just swallow her before she spilled everything out.

"Wait, Ally," Austin called, stopping her where she stood. "I wanted to apologize again for pressuring you about the song. Like you said, I was nervous that people were forgetting who I am. So, I'm sorry, again."

She gave him a soft smile over her shoulder. "Don't worry, I understand. I forgive you." And she did. But she wished he would stop mentioning it. The truth was brutally trying to makes its way out of her mouth the longer she stayed in his presence. "Gotta go."

Ally made to leave again, but was stalled once more when the door opened and Dez and Trish entered. The former was pulling a wiggling sack into the practice room, out of breath.

"I finally managed to bag him," Dez said, dropping the end of the sack he was holding. "And, trust me, it was **not** easy."

"Yeah, but at least now people will get what they came here for," Trish happily said, pointing one finger at the kangaroo while another pointed in Ally's direction.

Seeing this, Ally quickly readjusted the digits until they both pointed at Austin. "Yeah, now everyone will totally be able to concentrate on Austin's performance," she exclaimed, trying to cover her odd behavior.

Dropping Trish's hands, she made her escape again. "Gotta go!"

If she wanted things to be perfect for Austin, she was going to have to do whatever it took to make that possible. Even if it meant becoming Ally-D for a little while.

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**Austin's Performance**_

When the blonde performer came out to greet the crowd, he was momentarily stunned when he saw Ally dressed in her Ally-D persona –ripped jeans, a neon blue tank top with leopard spots, ankle boots, and straightened hair. When had she had the time to change so quickly?

Ally smiled at Austin, ignoring the cheers that came from the audience as she stepped onto the make-shift stage. Microphone in hand, she spoke into it, her eyes never leaving Austin's figure. "Hey, everyone, are you ready?"

The audience answered with a loud exclamation of, "_Yeah!_"

"That's awesome," she called out, grinning, "Because here to sing for you is my good friend and partner, **Austin Moon**!"

Austin couldn't stop the ear-to-ear grin on his face as he made his way down the stairs while everyone watched his progress across the store. Hopping the counter, he jumped on stage to stand next to Ally, who was cheering the loudest for him.

"What are doing up here?" he asked, smiling widely. At this rate, his face would get stuck like that; not that he minded since it was aimed at Ally.

Shifting the microphone away so that their conversation stayed private, Ally answered, "I know how much you like it when we perform together, so I thought I'd dress up as Ally-D and introduce you, at least. I just want you to have the best show, Austin."

He threw an arm around her shoulder in a half-hug that had all the feeling behind a full one. "Thank you, Ally," he whispered, "You just made this my absolute favorite performance."

When they pulled back, they shared a wide grin.

"Hey," a random girl called out, catching their attention, "Where's the kangaroo?"

Ally sheepishly handed Austin the microphone, her feet backing her away to stand behind and to the side of him. There was no way she was going to answer that in case she revealed everything.

Austin smiled. "Oh, we finally caught him. Thanks for the concern."

Reattaching the microphone to the stand, he announced, "I'm Austin Moon and I'm here to perform a song for you. It's called, "_A Billion Hits_" and was written by the best songwriter ever, Ally Dawson. Hope you like it!"

The music started and Ally nervously watched as the audience gave each other confused glances. She was glad, however, that Austin hadn't noticed as he started to bounce to the beat.

**A Billion Hits:**

"_Didn't go nowhere, never left uh  
You really thought that I was  
Gone (gone gone gone)  
I heard you talking like I lost my swagger  
Said I was over you were  
Wrong (wrong wrong wrong)_

_I'm always improving_  
_Always on the move and_  
_Working on my flow_  
_To take it to the studio_  
_This is not a comeback_  
_Following my own path_  
_Laying down the fat tracks_  
_Still a music maniac"_

Austin grinned as he danced around his microphone stand, his hand reaching behind him to pull Ally out to dance alongside him. He wouldn't be where he was without her, and he wanted to show her that being in the spotlight again wasn't so bad.

She just had to find the right person to share it with.

"_Whoaaa  
Well I know that I'll make it  
Never put my head down  
T-t-turn it up loud  
Yeahhhhh  
Cause I don't have to fake it  
If I keep on working it  
A billion hits is what I'll get_

_Wooooahhhh_  
_That's what I'm gonna get_  
_Wooooahhhh_  
_That's what I'm gonna get_

_Yeahhhh_  
_Cause I know that I'll make it_  
_Overload the internet_  
_A billion hits is what I'll get_

_A billion hits is what I'll get"_

Ally laughed as Austin twirled her, her straightened hair flowing around her face prettily. She was glad he had yet to let go of her hand; otherwise, she was sure she would have fallen flat on her face. A dancer she was not. But he was great at moving to the beat –She was almost envious.

She squeaked in slight distress when he hopped from the make-shift stage to on top of the counter, dragging her along but making sure she didn't lose her balance. His free hand easily held the microphone, and he continued to dance with her like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Dare she say it but she was having fun being the center of attention again…

"_Now you can't breathe  
Why so quiet  
No you don't believe your  
Eyes (eyes eyes eyes)  
You pushed me till' I had to  
Start this riot, now I'll never be  
Denied (-nied -nied -nied)_

_I'm always improving_  
_Always on the move and_  
_Working on my flow_  
_Till' ya hear me on the radio_  
_I know I can be a star_  
_Take off like a rocket car_  
_Everyday I'm working hard_  
_To get my name on every chart_

_Whoa_  
_Well I know that I'll make it_  
_Never put my head down_  
_T-t-turn it up loud_  
_Yeahhh_  
_Cause I don't have to fake it_  
_If I keep on working it_  
_A billion hits is what I'll get"_

Dez moved along with the dancing duo, his camera firmly in his hand. He didn't want to miss a second of this! With his mad skills with a computer, he would be able to make one of the best music videos he'd ever made. He wouldn't even need special effects; Austin and Ally looked great together. It was obvious the two were meant to share the spotlight.

But, how to convince Ally?

"_Wooooahhhh  
That's what I'm gonna get  
Wooooahhhh  
That's what I'm gonna get_

_Yeahhh_  
_Cause I know that I'll make it_  
_Overload the internet_  
_A billion hits is what I'll get_

_Call someone_  
_I think this is an emergency_  
_Hey_  
_Pull the plug_  
_Austin's blowing up my p.c._  
_Every hour day and night_  
_Can't get this rocker out my site_

_You can't get me outta your site_  
_You can't get me outta your site_  
_You thought that I was gone_  
_Guess that you were wrong_  
_Cause I just wrote your new favorite song"_

From the sidelines, Trish loudly cheered for Austin and Ally, but mostly for her brunette best friend. The Latina knew the full story as to why Ally had left show business, and she was happy Ally was finally having fun again while on-stage.

One day, Trish knew she would have to thank Austin for giving Ally back something she'd always found precious: her joy at being able to perform live. Trish had always regretted not being able to help Ally, which made Austin's accomplishment all the more amazing.

She cheered extra loudly when Austin jumped back to the original stage, his hand still clasped with Ally's. The Latina thoroughly enjoyed it when the blonde singer caught Ally against his chest when she lightly stumbled on the landing, but quickly made it look like a twirl that had everyone going crazy.

"_Woooahhhh  
Well I know that I'll make it  
Never put my head down  
T-t-turn it up loud  
Yeahhh  
Cause I don't have to fake it  
If I keep on working it  
A billion hits is what I'll get_

_Woooahhh_  
_That's what I'm gonna get_  
_Woooahhh_  
_That's what I'm gonna get_

_Yeahhh_  
_Cause I know that I'll make it_  
_Overload the internet_  
_A billion hits is what I'll get"_

Austin did his big finish, Ally standing right beside him, their hands still holding onto each other. He grinned as the audience went wild, which prompted him to pull Ally into a hug. Who needed to get stuck on whether to give a hug or handshake? He made sure they got it right this time.

Ally laughed breathlessly as she returned the embrace happily. She'd forgotten how fun performing was, although she hadn't actually done anything except be Austin's impromptu dance partner. She still had fun, which counted the most to her.

And it was all thanks to Austin Moon, Internet sensation, and unknowing song thief.

She'd never met a better criminal than him.

_**+++Dry Cleaners:**_

_**With Team Austin**_

Austin and Ally watched their performance from Dez's camera, both happy with the results. It was truly amazing what their ginger haired friend could do –They looked amazing!

"This is great, Dez," Austin commented, handing the camera back.

"Yeah," he agreed, nodding enthusiastically, "With this footage and my mad skills with a computer, I can have this uploaded to your website tonight."

"Awesome," Austin, Ally, and Trish said in excitement.

Ally turned a large smile onto Austin. "See, even though the audience came for the kangaroo, they stayed for the Moon."

Austin chuckled in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Her smile instantly dropped, and she pulled Trish back when the Latina fast-walked to the washer to avoid the potential confrontation.

"This is why you shouldn't tell me secrets," she whispered frantically to the shorter girl before releasing her to face her blonde friend.

Ally tried her best to explain but knew she should just state the honest facts before she messed it up. "Everyone who showed up weren't there to see you… They were there to take pictures with the kangaroo." There was no way she was going to admit to being part of the draw, too. The kangaroo was bad enough.

Austin's facial features dropped to unreadable, but Ally took it as a good sign that he wasn't blowing up in disappointment.

"So, they didn't know who I was?" he questioned slowly, trying to wrap his mind around the situation.

"That doesn't matter," she soothed, "Even if they didn't know who you were tonight, they do now."

A smile broke out on his face, and Ally was glad he was taking the news so well. "It's okay," he said, shrugging. "You're right. They do know who I am now, so it's fine. Honestly."

Ally smiled sweetly. "As long as you keep performing the way you do, you'll always have an Austin Moon fan."

"As long as you keep writing songs the way you do," he modestly said back, cheeks flushing a pale pink, "I'll always be an Ally Dawson fan." He paused to let her soak that in, teasingly adding, "Just _please_ don't make me wait another month."

"Oh, okay," she easily acquiesced, lifting her giant book from under the counter. "Just read this for me and tell me all about it."

When she handed it to him, Austin didn't think it could be that heavy, despite its size, especially when Ally carried it so easily. Boy was he wrong. His hands dropped, the back of the book slamming onto the edge of the counter.

He released a small laugh, snatching his hands away from the literature. "I can wait a month," he quickly said, changing his mind.

In response, Ally treated him to a smug smile.

"Oh no!" Trish exclaimed, catching everyone's' attention. She walked closer to them, her hands holding up a shrunken jacket that had been dyed _pink_ somehow. "Look what happened to Face Puncher's jacket!"

Dez frowned thoughtfully at it. "Yeah, it looks different but I can't figure out how."

Trish gave him a disbelieving look. "It shrunk and it's _pink_!"

"No, that's not it."

Before the Latina could explode on the ginger haired boy, the bell above the door dinged and a loud, "Hey!" came from the front.

Austin (as well as everyone) jumped, his hands instinctively moving to Ally's shoulders to move her securely behind him in a valiant attempt to protect her.

Face Puncher growled at the gathered teens, a scowl firmly on his face. "I came to pick up my championship jacket."

Trish laughed nervously, but she was the one holding said jacket so had no choice but to place it down in front of the customer. "That'll be six dollars," she said, cautiously sticking her hand out for the charge.

He growled in anger, and she squeaked out, "You know what? It's free; no charge!"

"What have you done to my jacket?" he demanded to know, hands clutching the once black material, not to mention it had been much larger.

Dez, being the 'brave' individual he was, stepped closer with a considering expression. "Yeah, I couldn't figure out what was different either."

Face Puncher growled again, teeth gritted. His fist raised to possibly hit Dez, Austin pushed his friend aside to try to lessen the tension.

"Listen Mr. Face Puncher," the blonde tried, "It's my fault this happened to your jacket. My friends were just trying to help me out, so if you punch anyone, it should be me." A short pause later, he lightly added, "But, I kind of need my face, so if you could punch me in the shoulder... Or even the foot? Maybe my hip? That would be great."

Face Puncher grabbed him by the collar of his blue suit-like jacket, pulling Austin closer and almost over the counter. "How about all of the above?" he rhetorically asked, fist poised to do just that.

"Austin!" Ally cried out, stepping forward to somehow help.

The bell dinged again, and a little girl dressed as a pink ballerina came into view. "Daddy, what is taking so long?" she demanded to know, hands on her hips. "You know I hate waiting."

"Mad Dog," her father said as calmly as possible, "Daddy is dealing with something."

"_That's_ Mad Dog," Ally said in stunned disbelief, eyes locked on the little girl.

Mad Dog ignored her dad, her gaze focused on the pink jacket he was enraged over. "Oh, is that for me, Daddy? It's beautiful!"

Face Puncher quickly dropped Austin, and Ally pulled the blonde away from the line-of-fire.

"Of course, princess," the burly man said, giving the teens a warning look to not interfere. Placing the jacket onto his daughter, he lifted her up to carry her out of the store.

"Thank you – You're the best Daddy ever!" Mad Dog was excitedly saying, but gasped as she laid eyes clearly on Austin and Ally. "Oh my God! You're Austin Moon, aren't you? And you're Ally-D!"

Austin and Ally chuckled lightly. "Yeah," the former answered. "Would you like an autograph?"

"Would I," the little girl said, practically wiggling out of her father's arms. He had a good grip on her, however, so placed her down to sit on the counter, her back facing Austin and Ally.

While the two signed their names on her back, she excitedly said, "I'm a huge fan of yours, Austin, and Ally-D – I've been watching all of your videos. You're both so amazing and cool!"

"Thank you," they both said gratefully, always happy to meet a fan.

Face Puncher smiled slightly at Dez, pointing a finger at him. "Aren't you the guy who ate the twenty pound hamburger?" he asked, impressed.

Dez smirked at being recognized again. "Why, yes, I am," he answered. From under the counter, he brought out a ketchup bottle and began squirting his initials over the front of Face Puncher's gray shirt.

The Ultimate Fighter growled, "I didn't ask for an autograph."

Dez squeaked in distress and threw the bottle in a random direction. His life on the line, he made a quick get-away with the burly man hot on his heels.

Mad Dog smiled gratefully at Austin and Ally, not worried about what was happening. "Thanks, Austin and Ally-D," she said in her sweetest tone, clearly happy about getting to meet her favorite Internet sensations.

"Yeah, no problem," Ally absently said, nervously tracking Dez's progress of getting away from the bigger male. "Anytime, Mad Dog."

The little ballerina huffed when she noticed her Dad wasn't back yet from beating up Dez, wherever that ended up being. "Daddy, beat him up quick! You know I hate waiting!" she called out, arms crossed over her chest impatiently.

Austin, Ally, and Trish all exchanged panicked glances. The three friends wondered if they should go save Dez, but neither knew how.

Ally took out her phone. "Should I call for an ambulance?" she asked.

Dez screamed, and Austin winced, not knowing what was happening to his best friend. "Maybe the morgue would be better?" he suggested, unsure.

Trish nodded. "Definitely."

_**+++The Next Day:**_

_**Food Court Fountain**_

The four friends were surrounded around Trish's laptop, their hysterical laughter causing passing people to stare at them curiously but not interfering.

"_Ooh_," they all groaned, wincing at the sight they were witnessing.

Austin bit his finger in sympathetic pain, his other arm casually draped behind Ally, who was sitting next to Trish, with Dez on the Latina's other side. All of them had their faces screwed up in agony.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Mr. Dawson, Ally's Dad, rolled his eyes in exasperation. One arm was in a sling, one of his eyes was blackened, and he had numerous scratches on his face.

"How much longer are you kids going to watch me get mugged by that kangaroo?" he asked.

"Until it stops being funny," Trish immediately answered, eyes never leaving the screen.

The four gasped as they witnessed the kangaroo start scratching at Lester Dawson. "Wow, that looked like it really hurt," Dez stated, now knowing the animal had been going easy on him.

They started laughing again as they watched Lester try to reason with the Australian creature. Their hysterics were cut off, however, when Lester walked by, snatching the laptop out of Trish's hands.

"_Aw_," the four moaned, their entertainment gone. Pouting, they wondered what they should do for the rest of day.

_**+++The End+++**_

_**Until next time!**_

_~Thank you for reading the next chapter; _**please review**_! I want to hear what you liked/disliked- it would be much appreciated!~_

**LoveShipper – Again, you're awesome for reviewing! (: You get two because you're AMAZE-ING!**


	3. Not a Love Song

"Doe Eyes & Puppy-Dog Pouts"

_Not a Love Song_

**Disclaimer: Please check chapter one- it's the same thing. Do not** **own**

_~Special thanks to livelyfingered and LoveShipper for reviewing :3_

**Pairing**: Ally Dawson/Austin Moon

**Song(s) included**: "_Not a Love Song_" by Ross Lynch

* * *

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**With Ally (Austin and Dez)**_

"Oh, excuse me," Ally said to a customer, coming up behind him. "We have a strict policy about customers lifting the instruments off the shelf. We don't want anything to fall over." After giving her little explanation, she picked up the pink violin. "Here you go."

However, as soon as she turned her back, the shelf collapsed and crashed the rest of the colored violins to the tiled floor.

Chuckling in a strained manner, she said, "I'm just gonna go over there now." Handing over the undamaged instrument, she hastily walked away.

Dez stood from behind the drum set and played a trumpet in a musical accompaniment that declared Ally's failure as an employee.

Grinning, the ginger haired teen claimed, "I've been waiting for something bad to happen all day to do that."

Austin retorted, "Something bad did happen when you put on that shirt this morning." With the guitar in his hands, he strummed his own musical accompaniment to add emphasis.

Instead of getting offended, Dez gave his friend an impressed high-five. "Great zinger sting!" Doing their personal handshake, their combined "What-Up!" was timed perfectly with Trish's entrance into the store.

"Guess who got a new job-"

"-at the clown store!" Dez finished the Latina's usual greeting, his next musical accompaniment coming from the drum set.

"Actually, I got a job at the make-up kiosk. They pay us in free samples." Trish glared at him. "And, really? You're gonna tease me with clown jokes wearing _that_?"

Dez stood, offended. "Will everyone please stop making fun of my shirt?" he exclaimed.

Rolling her eyes in exasperation, she pointed out, "I meant your shoes, genius."

"Oh." No longer insulted, Dez walked from behind the drums to show off his clown shoes, which made his feet look about three times their normal size.

"Anyway, I have big news," Trish stated again, but was interrupted by Austin this time.

"Wait," the blonde exclaimed, beginning his drum accompaniment but was cut short when Trish grabbed his drum sticks and threw them outside, narrowly missing a couple of people walking passed. Pouting, he decided to focus on the actual conversation.

"You were saying, Trish?" Ally helpfully reminded, giving the boys semi-scolding glances.

"Oh yeah," the Latina said, grinning once more. "I booked Austin a TV gig with Miami's hippest music show, _South Beach Sound_!"

"_South Beach Sound_?" Austin exclaimed excitedly. "This is huge! You're the best manager, ever, Trish!" He gave his shorter friend a hug of gratitude before pulling back to ask, "When is it?"

"Tomorrow," she answered, "I also promised them that you would perform a new song, so be sure to have that ready." She made sure to include Ally in her gaze at the last, and the brunette laughed nervously.

"By tomorrow? That's impossible," Austin said, his smile beginning to slip.

Trish gave him a small glare. "Hey, if I can get fired from three different jobs in one day, you can create a whole new song. Lazy!" With that, she turned on her heel and let Ally step up.

The petite songwriter smiled widely at Austin, who returned it easily; his worry about the song forgotten for now. "This is great, Austin! _South Beach Sound_ is a huge deal. Do you know how many stars got their break because they were on that show?"

"No," he immediately answered, "How many?"

Ally scoffed playfully, her excitement getting the best of her, "I don't know! See, sometimes, I ask questions when I'm really excited." As if to prove her point, she went on to say, "Why would I do something like that?"

Austin opened his mouth to answer, but she cut him off with a sheepish expression. "Don't answer that," she said. Not wanting to embarrass herself further, she walked back to her station with Austin following behind.

"Luckily for us, I have some new song ideas for tomorrow's performance." Beginning to rummage for her songbook, she added, "There's really nothing for us to worry about."

Her search took on a frantic vibe as the blonde had no choice but to dodge the flying paper and a couple of books she threw over her shoulder in her mad rummaging.

"Oh no, my book is gone! Worry, worry, worry!" she exclaimed, hands starting to slap objects onto the floor and out of her way.

Cautiously, Austin leaned forward to find his partner looking among the fallen papers and pens. "Ally, calm down," he tried to soothe. "I'm sure you just misplaced it." Although, that sounded nothing like the Ally Dawson he knew; she was actually freakishly organized. "It's just a book."

Ally slowly pulled herself up, using the counter's edge for assistance. The glare on her pretty features was enough to tell Austin he'd said the wrong thing.

Quickly backing up against the piano, he was treated to Ally getting in his face, nearly shouting, "It is **not** just a 'book'! It's my diary, songwriting book and journal, all-in-one. It has all of my secrets and personal feelings inside it. Do you know how **bad** it would be if some stranger found it and _reads_ _it_?!"

Her nose nearly touching his, she finished loudly, "_I would die!_"

Dez didn't help the situation one bit when he played a musical accompaniment to her problem on the piano, especially since it came out so cheerful. When he saw the incredulous looks he received from his friends, he quickly changed the tune.

_Dun dun dun…_

Not amused, Trish sent him another glare before giving Ally a calming smile. "Stop worrying, Ally. I'm sure we'll find it. Let's go check the mall's Lost & Found."

"Good idea," the brunette agreed, nodding eagerly. Turning to face Austin, she added, "You and Dez continue searching here. Call us if you find it."

Austin mock-saluted with a reassuring smile. "Of course."

With that, Ally and Trish left the music store without a glance back.

_**+++Lost & Found:**_

_**With Ally and Trish**_

"Ahh, I remember working here at the Lost & Found," Trish said dreamily as Ally frantically searched the box with missing items. "Oh, hey, I found my _Lost & Found_ t-shirt from when I worked here!"

Ally wasn't sure how her best friend could have lost that specific item, but she wasn't going to question it too closely; the Latina was a little more likely to wind up in a crazy situation than Ally.

"I remember how those poor souls would come in here, looking for something that they had no chance of actually finding," Trish continued, not noticing the devastated expression on Ally's face. "It was a million in one chance anyway, but they just kept searching and searching and…"

Trish paused, finally taking note of the other girl's depressed face. Her tone instantly changed, and she patted Ally comfortingly on the shoulder. "Not that the same applies to you, of course! I'm sure you'll find your songbook- You'll see!"

"Thanks, I think," Ally said, beginning to lose hope. "Well, I'm sure the guys must be having better luck than us right now."

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**With Austin and Dez**_

Dez smelled his way around the store, his nose leading him everywhere imaginable. He even ran his nose across the piano keys, making the classic noise that normally accompanied such an action.

Austin paused in his search behind the counter to grin in amusement at his best friend. "Dude, what are you doing?" he asked.

Standing straight, the ginger haired boy answered in a matter-of-fact tone, "I'm using my superhuman sense of smell to sniff out Ally's book."

"Superhuman, huh?" he retorted in a disbelieving voice. "Quick, what food am I thinking of?"

Dez took up the challenge and got close to Austin's head to sniff him. Snapping his fingers, he cheerfully stated, "Cherry pie!" After a triumphant look from his blonde counterpart, he adds, "Ala mode!"

Impressed, Austin replies, "Whoa, you do have a superhuman sense of smell."

"I know." With a smug look, Dez started sniffing around the store again, but ran up the stairs to the practice room, Austin hot on his heels to see what he had found. Hopefully Ally's missing book, but you never fully knew with the camera wizard.

Opening the door, Dez began his search by smelling the recording board then quickly made his way to the refrigerator, while Austin closed the door behind himself.

"Found it!" Dez called out.

"Ally's book? Your nose is amazing. I'll never doubt your sense of smell again," Austin said, incredulous but happy that it had been found. Now Ally could stop worrying and they could get back to writing a song for _South Beach Sound_.

Confused, Dez brought out a gingerbread house. "What are you talking about? I just remembered I used Ally's book to make a roof for my gingerbread people."

"Why do you have a gingerbread house?" Austin asked, picking up the precious book and flipping it closed. Last time he checked, it wasn't near Christmas, which was the only time he got to eat said cookie.

"What?" Dez replied in a defensive tone, "Would you rather my gingerbread men live in the street?"

Reaching inside, now that the roof was gone, the blonde Internet sensation brought out one of the said gingerbread men. With his free hand (which still held the book), he rubbed his stomach, explaining, "No, I want him to live in my tummy."

Before his friend could protest, he bit off the head and chewed appreciatively.

"_Carlos_!" Dez cried out in despair and quickly snatched the rest of Carlos's body from Austin. With a small glare, he put Carlos back and shoved the house into the fridge once more.

No longer able to eat the delicious treat, Austin lightly tapped Dez with the songbook. "Come on, let's go find Ally to give her back her book."

As quick as lightning, Dez's mood shifted back to the objective. "You know, it's a good thing we found it," he stated, "I mean, it must be some really embarrassing and personal stuff she wrote down if she's freaking out like this."

Austin chuckled, "Yeah, no kidding. Must be some juicy stuff. I've never seen her so worried about someone else reading it."

Throwing the book onto a nearby table, the two boys opened the door and started walking out when they both paused, their words coming back to them. As one, they backed up and slowly turned their heads to stare at the innocent journal.

"Gotta be some _really_ juicy stuff," Austin reiterated, his eyes never leaving the bound book laid out before him.

Dez nodded in agreement, his own gaze hungry to open the book too, "Yeah, totally. Has to be _really_ embarrassing and personal, too."

Beginning to pace to stop their temptation to read it, Austin asked, "So, what do you think?"

Shrugging, the other boy said, "It's not like she told us not to touch her book." Which was a complete lie, and they both knew it.

Ally was ridiculously protective of the bound songbook; Austin was sure she would sacrifice one of them if it meant the safety of it. Although, to be fair, he and Dez were mainly the ones trying to touch her book just to see her reaction.

And if Austin found the way her brows would crinkle in annoyance when he tried to snatch it from her cute; well, that was his business…

"This is silly," Austin finally declared. "Ally would be upset if we read her book." But the darned thing was like a siren, calling and calling his name, begging for him to read all of her secrets. His chocolate eyes were dragged back to stare at it once more.

Dez rubbed the back of his head thoughtfully. "Oh, I know!" he exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "If the book happened to drop onto the floor and open, she surely couldn't blame that on us."

"Good idea." Austin grabbed the book and shoved it into Dez's hands since this was his plan.

Dez threw the book down, but he did it in a way that kept the contents secure, the book closed against their curious gazes.

"Well, that didn't work," Austin unnecessarily stated, disappointed. Looking up for inspiration, he gasped in realization. "Oh, how about Ally's book got stuck to the ceiling with jelly or something, and we just happened to read it from below?"

The more he explained his idea, the more unlikely it seemed possible.

"No, that's dumb. How would we get something like jelly to stick the book up there? What are we gonna do, walk down to the store and buy some?"

Dez's cheerful, "No need," had Austin turning his attention onto him. The blonde watched as he pulled out numerous jars of jellies, jams, and marmalades. How he managed to fit all of that in his bag, Austin will never know.

Picking up the book, Austin said in frustration, "This is getting stupid! Let's just go get Ally and give her back her book. We shouldn't be thinking about reading it anyway." Besides, he highly doubted the brunette would buy their story about how the book got attached to the ceiling. The girl was probably the smartest person Austin knew.

"This is getting stupid," Dez agreed, and Austin was surprised when he snatched the prized journal from his hands. "Let's just read it!"

"I'm not gonna be a part in this," the blonde stated, backing away quickly but not that far. His temptation to read it was back, full force.

Dez didn't bother to answer, his eyes eagerly reading through the private words of one Ally Dawson.

"Dude, she totally wrote about some guy she likes!"

Austin could only take so much, and he broke at Dez's statement. Almost falling over himself to read over Dez's shoulder, he scanned the contents like the greedy teen he was. However, his smile began to disappear the more he read, his expression morphing into one of horror.

"Ally has a crush on **me**!"

And if his heart happened to have sped up, he blamed it on this new, _unwanted_ information.

_**+++Miami Food Court:**_

_**With Ally and Trish**_

Nervously, Ally chewed on her thumb nail, chocolate eyes focused on some unforeseen future where some stranger found and read her private songbook. Oh, the horror! She could only imagine what they must think of her.

Trish didn't seem concerned. "Would you like some dip with that?" she sarcastically asked, gesturing down to her chips and dip she got for lunch.

Ally instantly stopped her chewing, dropping her hand into her lap. "Sorry, that must've been unappetizing to watch," she apologized. "I'm just so worried about finding my book, and Austin and Dez haven't called yet to say they found it."

The Latina went back to eating. "Well, how about you retrace your footsteps from today?" she helpfully suggested.

"That's a great idea," Ally brightly said, "Okay, I got here early, so I wrote in my book on the bench next to the cell phone accessory cart." Trish didn't notice the way she glanced in said direction, a smile on her face. "Then, when my break came up during work, I took a walk past the cell phone accessory cart." Again, her gaze travelled the short distance between her and said cart. "Then, I-"

"Wait," Trish cut her off, seeing a pattern. "Why do you keep mentioning the cell phone accessory cart?"

Ally laughed nervously. "Wh~at?" she drew out in an unconvincing way. "What are you talking about? I don't keep mentioning that." Suddenly leaning forward, she eagerly asked, "Why, did the cute guy who works there say something about me?"

Trish wanted to laugh at the way her friend's eyes lit up when she mentioned him, but she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable too. Don't get her wrong- she liked that Ally had a crush on someone, but… Why couldn't it have been on Austin?

Instead, she showed her support like a good friend should. "No way," Trish squealed, "You have a crush on the cell phone accessory cart-guy! That must be what you wrote in your book, huh?"

"Wh~at?" Ally drew out again, her tone becoming more nervous by the second. "Me? Have a crush on the cell phone accessory cart-guy? No way!" Turning slightly, she dreamily said, "Holy, unlimited texting, that guy is **so** cute."

Obviously she forgot about denying her earlier feelings for said guy, her gaze becoming distracted as she stared. Trish had no choice but to shake her head and go back to eating.

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**With Austin and Dez**_

Dez held up a hand. "Hold on," he said, "I'm a slow reader- Don't spoil the ending for me."

Austin impatiently paced as his friend caught up to the revelation, his hand running through his hair in distress.

"Whoa, Ally has a crush on you!" Dez (finally) gasped out in shock, and Austin was finally able to burst out what he'd been holding back.

"I know! What am I gonna do?" he asked, leaning against a table. "I mean, Ally is awesome but we're too different. She likes pickles; I like pancakes. She likes reading books; I like having fun. I'm cool and collected; she practically bites her thumb off when she's nervous."

Unknown to Austin, Dez took note of the way his friend had failed to mention that he didn't feel that way back towards Ally. Did this mean, even sub-consciously, Austin may have romantic feelings for the singer/songwriter?

However, the ginger haired teen knew he should keep that little piece of information to himself. At least for now, anyway.

"Now, hold on," he said, trying to calm the blonde. "We're not sure Ally meant you. It could be anyone!"

Austin looked offended by his friend's remark, jabbing a finger at the words written plain as day in the journal. "What are you talking about? She described me perfectly! _Kind eyes; hair that flops just in the right way_? That's totally me. Even the _smells like a fresh summer breeze_ part, and we do work close together, yet far apart. I mean, we're partners."

To add emphasis, he flipped his hair just-so, his eyes fluttering mockingly flirty in his totally-efficient puppy-dog pout. The one expression Ally always caved in to; now he knew why.

Being helpful, Dez lifted Austin's arm and breathed in the scent of his underarm pit. "Oh yeah, that's breezy," he stated, dropping the appendage.

Turning back, Austin pointed to the last line she'd written. "She also wrote, _And what's cooler than a guy named after a city in Texas_. See, she can only be talking about-"

_**+++Miami Food Court:**_

_**With Ally and Trish**_

"-Dallas," the brunette breathed out, gaze still staring dreamily at the dark haired guy in question. "Seriously, what is cooler than a guy with a name after a city in Texas?"

_How about Austin?_ Trish desperately wanted to say, but kept her mouth shut. It wasn't like she could force feelings that weren't there (yet), so she would do what she could to help Ally with her crush.

By that, she meant subtly pushing Ally in Austin's direction. She just hoped the blonde wouldn't be dumb enough to refuse the gift that was Ally Dawson. If he was… Well, Trish considered herself the Queen of Revenge; she'd come up with something fitting.

Ally's frantic voice had Trish snapping out her thoughts. "Oh, don't look! Dallas is coming over. Act cool!"

"I'm not the one who should be worried about that," the Latina dryly stated, but went back to eating her chips and dip.

Ally ignored her friend, leaning casually back in her seat as she cast the dark haired Dallas a nervous but sweet smile.

"Excuse me," he said with a polite smile, walking passed Ally to throw away some trash from his lunch.

She stood from her seat, laughing in a strained manner that bespoke of her nerves. "Oh, I see you like throwing away trash," she commented, mentally face-palming at how lame she sounded.

Dallas raised a brow questioningly but chuckled along. "Yeah, I guess so," he replied, shrugging.

"I like throwing away trash, too!" As if to prove her point, she snatched Trish's tray of food from her and threw it in the garbage bin. "We have so much common; isn't it crazy?"

He just shrugged again, starting to look a little uncomfortable. "I suppose," he said, unsure. "Anyway, I have to get back to work. Later."

Ally released a defeated sigh as she retook her seat, her thumb making its way back between her dainty teeth. One day she was going to be missing the tip of said digit, she just knew it.

Meanwhile, all Trish could do was glare at her friend. "I was still eating that."

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**With Austin and Dez**_

Austin quickly made his way out of the practice room, nerves so wound tight, he knew he'd snap at any second from the sheer pressure he felt.

His heart was even racing with the secret he had found in Ally's journal, but he was (almost) positive it was from fear. Fear of their friendship, not to mention partnership, changing and becoming something uncontrollable; becoming _different_.

Austin Moon may gamble with many things, but friends and his music career weren't one of them.

And having Ally like him was definitely jeopardizing his sanity. But he refused to look too deeply as to why.

"Dez, what am I going to do about-"

"Ally!" the ginger haired boy exclaimed, causing Austin to freeze at the bottom on the staircase for a second before moving once more to stand near the counter. He was Austin Moon- he could handle a petite brunette liking him!

"And Trish," snapped the Latina, glaring at Dez. "I'm short, not invisible."

"Anyway, did you guys find my songbook?" Ally hopefully asked, her doe eyes connecting with Austin instantly for an answer.

_Why couldn't she focus those orbs on Dez when she asked questions?_ Austin nervously wondered, his fingers beginning to twitch in agitation. Seriously, he needed to stop panicking.

"Oh yeah," he answered, handing Ally her precious journal. "It was just-" He started to say while pointing upstairs but he was cut off by Ally throwing her arms around his torso from behind and hugging him close to her smaller form.

"I love you, I love you, I love you," she chanted gratefully, never taking notice of how tense the blonde was.

When she released him, he gulped when she gently but firmly grabbed onto his wrist with a large smile on her pretty face. "Come on, now we can work on that new song for _South Beach Sound_," she coaxed, dragging him up to the practice room.

Austin exchanged panicked glances with Dez, who was no help. The other boy could only rub the back of his head sheepishly. It wasn't like they were going to bluntly admit that they'd invaded Ally's privacy by reading her book, now, were they?

_Unless that would get me out of this situation?_ Austin thought, but shook his head. No, that wouldn't do. He didn't want Ally to hate him, after all. That would be horrible.

"Okay, so what kind of- Why did you close the door?" he nervously asked, his eyes going wide as the door clicked in place.

Ally gave him a confused look, songbook securely in her grasp. "What are you talking about? We always close the door when we're practicing. It's, you know, more private."

He shrugged as casually as he could. "Psh, who needs privacy? Maybe we should change that." Swiftly, he walked back to door and opened it, even going so far as to walk onto the landing to announce, "Hey, we're writing a song up here! You know, just two friends, writing a song… With the door **wide open**!"

Taking a seat at the piano, the brunette laughed lightly at his antics. She wouldn't question why he was acting weird until later. Right now, she was full of ideas she wanted to run by him.

When Austin came back in, he sat down next to her, but not too close. He didn't want her getting any ideas…

"So, I was thinking for the TV gig, you should sing a love song," she suggested happily, scooting a little closer to him. Since when did the blonde ever consider her personal space?

His chuckle came out more strained than he preferred. "How about a _like_ song?"

Ally gave him a stubborn look. "But I already have a bunch written down, Austin," she said, beginning to play a few keys absently. "Don't you think it would be different from all of our other songs?"

"No," he answered, gulping, "Why should we change it up now, anyway?" If that was a squeak in his voice, he would deny it later.

Instead of listening to him, she began playing a sweet melody that would have normally had Austin humming along. Now, it just made him tense.

"_Love, love, love_," Ally sang, smiling at her blonde friend encouragingly.

Austin began playing the same keys on the opposite end of the piano, the melody taking on a rock-genre sound. "_Like, like,_ like," he sang back, the last coming out dry toned.

"_It's a special kind of feeling_."

"_But not always so appealing_."

She frowned at him but continued, "_I want us to get close_."

Would she ever give up? He wondered. "_But too close is kind of gross_."

As Ally sent him an odd glance, she sang, "_Gotta go for what you want_…"

Austin didn't bother to play any notes this time nor did he really sing. "But we should keep things on a friendly level is also a good option if you want things to stay the same." At the end, he hit one key and stood, his nerves getting the best of him.

Ally watched as he opened the fridge, but didn't take anything out. Slowly, she stood to her feet and cautiously walked towards him. "Are you okay, Austin? You're acting odder than usual." Which she hadn't thought was possible, but there you have it.

"I'm just not feeling this love song," he answered truthfully, hoping he wasn't hurting her feelings.

"But I'm really feeling this one," she insisted, eyes lighting up and smiling. "In fact, I think we've gotten close enough that I can tell you who it's actually about-"

She was startled when he clapped his hands over his ears, loudly chanting as he practically ran out of the room, "If I don't hear it, it's not true! If I don't hear it, it's not true! If I don't hear it, it's not true!"

Alone now, Ally asked herself in bewilderment, "What is going on with him?"

_**+++Miami Food Court:**_

_**With Ally and Trish**_

As the two friends walked, drinks in hand, the brunette stated, "I've never seen him acting the way he did before today. I wonder what's wrong? I mean, we didn't even finish the song."

"Maybe he's nervous about performing on _South Beach Sound_?" Trish suggested, sounding concerned. "I mean, this is his biggest performance to-date."

Throwing away their cups, they happened to come across Dez, who had heard their entire conversation, despite working on his gingerbread house and people.

Rolling his eyes, he scoffed, "Austin is never nervous, especially when he's about to perform."

Ally smiled hopefully at the boy, asking, "Then, do you know why he's been acting so weird around me?"

Dez immediately froze up, wishing he could take his previous words back. Panicking, he blurted out, "Austin always gets nervous before a performance! Didn't you two know that? Always! Can't a guy build a new gingerbread roof without getting grilled?"

Suspicious, Ally and Trish exchanged glances before the former began to slowly circle Dez, like he was prey. "What do you know, Dez?" she sweetly asked.

He gripped the arms of his chair, shoulders slumping in guilt. However, they would not break him! "I don't know what you're talking about!" he exclaimed.

"Tell us," Trish shouted back, an annoyed expression on her features. "We can do this the easy way or the _Trish_-way." She smirked at the last, showing she was serious. When was she not?

When he sprang forward to run, he softly yelped when Ally's surprisingly strong grip kept him in place.

"I'd do what Trish says," Ally stated, "You know I can't control her when she gets like this, Dez. Tell us what you know!"

"You can hurt me all you want- I'll never tell! _I'll never tell_!"

Trish tried to intimidate him by leaning forward. "I guess you leave me no choice," she said, beginning to back away once more. Dez had to watch in horror as she picked up one of his gingerbread people. "Oh no, I'm not going to hurt _you_." Her voice went sweet; too sweet. "Just your family."

Dez gasped, eyes widening.

"Your _gingerbread_ family," she added. Eyes connected with his, she took a bite out of the arm.

"_Benjamin_!" he cried out, arm raised as if he could save his little cookie man. Ally pulled him back into his seat, however, and his face scrunched up. "No! You **monster**!"

Knowing he was breaking, Ally finally released him to stand next to Trish once more. In a convincing voice, she bargained, "You can end all this senseless suffering, Dez. Just tell us what you know!"

"Never!" he instantly cried out, "I can't betray Austin!"

Humming thoughtfully, Trish wondered out loud, "I wonder what Benjamin would look like without a head?"

Just as her mouth opened to find out just that, Dez finally broke and shouted, "Austin read Ally's book and knows she has a crush on him!"

"**WHAT**?!" the girls exclaimed together, shocked by this turn of events.

The ginger haired boy slumped back in his seat, glad the torture was over with for now, but feeling horrible he'd just spilled his best friend's secret. He threw up his hands. "Now you know everything."

While Ally remained stunned by the news, Trish absently bit off the cookie's head, which released a distressed cry from Dez.

"I said I told you everything!" he protested.

"I know," the Latina stated, "But Benjamin is _really_ tasty."

Those were the words that snapped Ally back to the present. Clutching her book protectively to her chest, she began fast-walking in the direction she figured the _soon-to-be-dead_ blonde was in. Her anger was mostly aimed at the fact that he'd invaded her privacy; she was always telling him not to touch her book! And what did he do? He read it! Even after she'd stated it had personal and embarrassing things about her in it; stuff she obviously didn't want him (or anyone else) to know.

If she couldn't trust him with something as small as this, how were they supposed to stay partners?

Before she completely disappeared, Trish stopped Ally. "Wait, where are you going?"

"I'm going to confront Austin about reading my journal," she answered, anger beginning to seep into her voice.

The Latina pulled her to stop, a cunning smile curving her lips up. "No, I have a better idea," she stated, which intrigued Ally into actually listening. "And it's a little something I like to call _revenge_."

Put it that way, the brunette supposed that would be better than beating him with a book… Her fists were too tiny to do any real damage, and she was too upset to look for a more suitable weapon.

"What do you have in mind?" Although not the exact punishment she'd planned, she would take this opportunity to teach Austin a lesson about invading her privacy.

Besides, she kind of liked the idea that she could make him so nervous. And she'd take into consideration he'd only read about her 'crush' on him. At least he hadn't leafed through the entire book.

Trish smirked deviously. "We're gonna use your book to do it." To add emphasis, she grabbed the soft-leather bound object from Ally to hold it up.

Ally nodded in agreement, but quickly took the book back. Rolling her eyes in exasperation, she said, "I love it, but _don't touch my book_."

It was Trish's turn to roll her eyes, but the two girls left the food court to talk more about their scam on one Austin Moon.

Oh boy, was he in for a treat…

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**With Ally and Trish (and Austin)**_

While writing a couple of things down in her songbook, Ally heard approaching footsteps, so turned around to greet the new customer. Her smile froze when she saw it was one of her students, Nelson, but that wasn't reason she froze.

No, it was because said little boy was pulling a piano over his shoulder by a piece of rope.

"Um, Nelson, what are you doing?" she asked, unsure.

Nelson smiled at his favorite teacher, dropping the rope carelessly. "Hi Ally," he greeted brightly. "I came for my piano lesson!" His arms open wide, he gestured grandly at the beautiful instrument.

Ally shook her head, rather amused but disheartened. "I told you that you didn't need to bring your own piano." Her tone turned dry as she added, "And, today was your _oboe_ lesson, Nelson, not piano."

"Aw, narts," he said, snapping his fingers. "Do you know how hard it was to get _this_ on the bus?"

She shrugged helplessly. "I'm sorry."

The little boy shrugged and turned to push the piano back out of the store. While he pushed the heavy piece, which was easier than pulling, Trish bypassed him and Ally scrambled to get behind the counter to initiate their plan.

"Quick, Austin is coming!" Trish whisper-shouted in warning, throwing a tube of strawberry colored lip-gloss to Ally, who caught it quite easily.

Ally hurriedly applied the sticky gloss, smacking her lips as she twisted it closed and hastily brought out a life-sized doll that was dressed to match Austin's style- blonde hair and all.

Timing it perfectly, she sloppily placed a kiss on doll-Austin's cheek as the real one sauntered cautiously into the store.

Ally made sure to make obnoxious kissing noises as she continued her little charade. "Austin… Oh, Austin," she said, kissing the doll again and again each time she said his name. "Austin."

From the sidelines, Trish casually flipped through a magazine, but her gaze watched the blonde boy to see his reaction. While cruel, considering she was totally cheering for them to start dating, she also knew how important Ally's privacy was.

She wouldn't be a good friend if she let Austin get away with what he did, now, would she?

Meanwhile, Austin wasn't sure what he'd walked in on, but he knew he should walk right back out. However, some sick fascination with the situation had his feet moving further into the store.

"Uh, Ally?" he cautiously questioned. "What are you doing? Is that doll supposed to be me?"

Ally immediately stopped kissing doll-Austin to stare in bewilderment at the real one. "Austin," she said in fake surprise. "I didn't know you came. I was just…" She glanced at the doll then back to him. "I was just practicing what would happen if you got bit by a rattlesnake… On the lips."

Dropping the doll behind the counter, she laughed 'nervously'. "It could happen."

Somehow, he felt a little relieved. At least he wouldn't die… He supposed. "Good to know," he said awkwardly and continued further into the store to avoid eye contact with Ally. "So, do you wanna work on that song? You know, right here, where everyone can see us?"

For the record, that was the _only_ reason why he'd come back. He felt bad about ditching her earlier and he'd calmed down since so he could help her without freaking out.

And it wasn't because his stomach got a weird fluttery feeling when she was around him, especially now that he knew she had romantic feelings for him… Nope!

Ally gave him a flirty smile over her shoulder, watching as he started to nervously finger the music magazines she kept on the counter. Okay, she was enjoying this a little too much, so sue her!

"I can't right now," she regrettably said, "I'm busy. Sorry."

When she flipped her songbook open and began doodling in it, Trish took that as her cue to enter the next phase of their plan.

"Hey, Ally," she curiously sang out, knowing it would catch Austin's attention. "What kind of secrets are you writing down in your book this time?"

"Oh, you know, just a list of turn-offs," she casually answered, smirking since their target was facing her back. "You know the things I don't like in a guy; the kind of things that if a guy did, I would totally _stop liking him_."

Trish gave a small gasp at the news. From the corner of her eye, she could see Austin taking extreme interest in their conversation but trying to play it off that he was reading a magazine. Did the dummy find it convincing when it was upside down?

"Hey, why don't we go to the food court and kick back for at least twenty minutes?" the Latina suggested, her fake tone not fooling anyone but their target.

Ally chuckled. "Great idea. I'll just leave my book _right here_." Patting her beloved possession, she walked out of the store with Trish, knowing the trap had been set.

When the girls were no longer in view, Austin immediately pounced on the book. However, when his hands made contact with the soft leather, he was attacked by his conscience. Seriously, when would he learn to stop breaking Ally's trust?

_But I need to see that last entry_, he reasoned with himself.

_Yeah, and you could possibly be hurting Ally without realizing it. Don't read it!_

Gazing at the book, he bit his lower lip, indecisive. _I'm only reading it for the sake of saving our friend-and-partnership._

_And what will the excuse be next time you decide to break her trust?_

_Gah, I hate it when my conscience has a point… But there won't be a next time! I've honestly learned my lesson._

Just when Austin made up his mind about choosing the devil's side, his conscience asked a question he didn't know how to answer:

_Would it be so bad if Ally had romantic feelings for me?_

Was it just him, or did that sound more like his heart?

Austin shook his head, his decision already made. Opening the book to the last entry, he quickly read Ally's turn-offs.

"Fake tans," he murmured to himself, "and guys who sweat a lot." Easy enough, he supposed, so he quickly left Sonic Boom after returning the journal to its previous spot.

However, the question about Ally having feelings for him continued to dog his every step.

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**With Ally (and Austin)**_

When Austin walked into the store next, Ally almost burst out laughing. The guy had a more than obvious fake tan and his shirt was sweaty around his pits. She especially liked how he did a little dance move and twirl as he showed off for her benefit.

The plan for revenge was too good!

"Hey, Ally," he greeted in semi-flirty way, grinning his usual charming grin. Although the circumstances weren't great, she had missed that smile of his. "How do I look?"

She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing, but she managed to say, "Orange." She even threw in a small frown of disapproval to complete her act.

Ally wouldn't admit how much she'd missed his confident swagger, which he put on full force as he marched to stand directly in front of her, towering over her shorter height. Now that Internet sensation-Austin was back, she realized she should've been able to see how different he'd been acting for most of the day.

Whipping off his dark sunglasses, Austin fluttered his lashes obnoxiously. "Yeah, I really like the color. Don't you think it brings out my eyes?"

Almost chocking on her need to giggle, she strained out, "_Ew_, I hate fake tans."

"Really? I _did not_ know that!"

Austin stretched, making sure to expose his sweaty pits. If this didn't turn her off, he wasn't sure what would. The only good thing was that he'd gotten in a good run to work up this much perspiration.

Ally wrinkled her nose, taking a small step back. "Yeah, almost as much as I hate sweaty guys," she stated, her lips twitching with the need to smirk at his actions.

She enjoyed the way his voice turned smug to state, "I also didn't know that!" The way he leaned forward on the counter to get closer to her was an added bonus, as far as she was concerned.

Revenge wouldn't be just good anymore- it would be sweet; _very sweet_.

Before she could give herself away, she gave him a small nod before turning back to her work. Luckily, Dez walked in, which distracted Austin from continuing to converse with her.

"Whoa, dude, you look… Different," the ginger haired teen commented, a thoughtful expression on his freckled face.

In a smug voice, the blonde replied, "I know. I'm orange and-" He lifted his arms in a Hercules-pose, "sweaty."

Dez shook his head in disagreement, brows furrowed. "No, that's not it."

Austin gave his friend a weird look. "That's exactly it," he replied. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure Ally was still out of ear-shot, he lowered his voice as he explained to Dez, "I'm trying to make Ally not have a crush on me- and it's working! She hates sweaty guys and fake tans."

Snapping his fingers as a thought struck him, Dez dug through his bag to pull out a blood-red pepper that was about a bite-size big.

"Hey, if you really wanna sweat, you should try taking a bite out of this," he said, holding it out for Austin to get a better look. "They say it only grows in volcano lava."

Not needing to hear more, Austin snatched it and popped it into his mouth.

Dez's eyes widened in panic. "The trick is to only take a _small_ bite!" he exclaimed, but knew it was too late.

Austin began jumping around the store, looking anywhere for relief from the boiling hot sensation in his mouth. His eyes were starting to tear from the extreme heat and sweat was definitely starting to pour down his forehead, back, chest, and armpits.

Spitting out the offensive pepper into a trash can, he ran to a customer who had a water bottle. When he found it was completely empty, he threw it away with an incredulous look at the guy he took it from as if to ask, _Why would you carry around an empty bottle?_

Just as he was about to beg Ally for something to drink, Trish walked in while leading in a small group of guys. One held a microphone and the other two were obviously taking care of the camera they carried.

Fanning his tongue desperately, he tried to communicate with Trish that he needed assistance with his burning mouth, but she ignored him in favor of stating what was going on.

"Austin, these guys are here for your interview for _South Beach Sound_."

_Oh God, this couldn't be happening_, he thought in misery. Instead, he had no choice but to pant out, "I thought that was tomorrow?"

She smiled in response. "They moved it to today." Pausing, she seemed to finally notice his appearance and desperate expression. "What's wrong with you? You look like a wet pumpkin." However, she didn't wait for a response and walked passed him to stand with Ally and Dez.

"I can't go on live TV like this," he protested, hands still fanning his tongue.

Austin was stopped when an arm wrapped around his shoulder, dragging him back to stand and stare right into a camera and grinning interviewer.

"We're here live to talk to the one and only, Austin Moon," the guy with the microphone announced, smiling for the camera. He turned his smile onto the blonde performer, inquiring, "Aren't you excited about today, Austin?"

Not seeing an escape route, he answered, "Yeah, totally." God, was his mouth going numb?!

"Tell us about your new song," the interviewer suggested, smiling like nothing was wrong.

Austin fanned his mouth, hoping feeling would return. "Hot! Hot!"

"That's great! What's it called?"

"Water! Water!" he panted, turning desperately to Dez. "Dez! Drink! Now!"

The guy doing the interview turned to the cameraman. "_Water! Water!_ Catchy! Catchy!"

In response to Austin's request, Dez rummaged through his bag. "Well, I wasn't really thirsty, but if you insist." He made a noise of appreciation as the cool liquid squirted into his mouth, and Austin groaned in exasperation as he continued to try to put out the fire in his mouth.

He was pulled back into the interview, which meant this torture session was going to continue. "Are you nervous about being on live TV?" the guy asked, frowning at how _wet_ Austin was. "You're kind of sweaty."

Sweat was definitely beginning to _pour_ from his forehead, but Austin had no choice but to ignore it for now. He needed to get through this as soon as possible!

"Really? I didn't notice," he answered, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

"Well, we have one last question for you," the guy said, and Austin almost cheered in happiness at the news, except when the actual question came out.

"Why did you read Ally's book?"

His burning mouth forgotten due to shock, the sweaty blonde pumpkin asked, in a dumbfounded voice, "What?"

The sound of footsteps caught his attention, and he turned to look at his friends; namely Ally, who wore a smug smile on her face.

"You know the book I repeatedly told you not to touch? Tell me, Austin, why did you read it?"

He sputtered for an answer, but realization slowly came to him and he gestured at the people hosting the 'interview'. "Wait, so this was a-?"

"-Fake interview to make you look stupid as punishment? Yeah, that's exactly what it is," she answered, nodding. Turning, she shared a high-five with Trish, who whooped with glee of having accomplished what they'd set out to do.

"Trish is really good at revenge. She came up with the camera crew," Ally added, smiling, "If there was a revenge store, she'd never get fired!"

Austin jerked a thumb at the leaving men. "So, that wasn't the people from _South Beach Sound_?" he asked, just to be sure.

Ally rolled her eyes in that patient but exasperated way she reserved only for him. "No, of course not, and I don't have a crush on you."

Would it be saying something if he found that fact to be relieving but also disappointing?

Instead, he went with relieved and smiled at the petite brunette. "That's a relief- I thought I would have to stay orange forever." His eyes softened in regret, and he added, "Listen, I'm sorry about reading your book. It was wrong of me to do."

Ally smiled. She bet her next pay check that he didn't even know he was giving his famous puppy-dog pout, the cheat. But she also knew that meant he was sincere.

"You're forgiven," she said, "But, why did you freak out so badly when you thought I had a crush on you? I can't be that horrible, right?" Although she'd said it in a joking manner, she did feel a little hurt that Austin would go to such extremes to get her to stop liking him.

She just didn't know why. They were friends and partners, after all.

His expression morphed into something between incredulous and _what-are-you-talking-about?_ "No, Ally, you got it all wrong," he assured, wondering where she got the idea that she was horrible. "You're awesome and incredibly talented. I just didn't want anything to ruin our friendship."

Ally smiled brightly at his explanation. "I feel the same way, Austin."

Beyond happy that things were back to normal, he opened his arms to give Ally a bear hug, but stopped when she placed a small hand on his chest. He looked at her, confused.

"Let's hug when you're less orange and sweaty," she laughed, taking her hand away to wipe it on her dress's skirt.

Austin conceded to her point with a nod. "I'm just glad I didn't humiliate myself on live TV." He glanced at the set-up camera still aimed at them.

"Ye~ah," she drew out, starting to step away from him with an innocent smile, "No, you totally did."

"What?" he gasped, stunned. He looked back and forth between the camera lens and Ally's smirking face, unable to decide if she was joking or not.

The laugh she released was like tinkling bells to his ears, but that didn't stop the fear of what she'd admitted to him from resurfacing. "Trish wanted to hook up the camera to the Jumbotron in the mall. At first, I wasn't going to let her, seeing as how I hate public humiliation, but I wanted to add my own little twist to your punishment."

Austin gaped at her. He hadn't known she was capable of such evil. "You didn't…"

Ally tossed him a playful wink. "Oh yeah, I did."

"Prepare to be tickle tortured!" was the thing everyone in the mall heard from one Austin Moon as they watched him bolt off camera to chase one Ally Dawson around Sonic Boom.

_**+++Miami Mall:**_

_**Austin's Performance**_

Ally smiled as she helped Austin set up his microphone. The boy could do amazing things with multiple instruments but a techie he was not, especially when it had to be attached to the piano he would be using.

"Thanks Ally," he gratefully said, smiling at her. "I don't know what I would do without you."

His heart thumped in trepidation at the thought, but he ignored it.

Ally giggled lightly. "You'd probably crash and burn," she answered playfully. Adding the finishing touches, she backed away to see the finished product. "That should do it. You're gonna do great, as always, Austin."

He liked that she was so confident in him; it made something in his chest blossom with a warmth he wasn't familiar with.

"Are you sure you don't wanna perform with me this time?" he asked, patting the piano bench next to him invitingly. "It'll be like _The Helen Show_ all over again."

Rolling her eyes, she pushed his shoulder gently. "No thanks. You know I don't want the spotlight anymore. I'll have just as much fun watching you perform than standing up here like a dummy."

He shrugged, knowing he'd get her next time. "Suit yourself," he said, "You better go find Trish and Dez, then. They're gonna start soon and, if you're still up here, I'm keeping it that way." The smile he gave her was positively toothy, and Ally beat a hasty retreat with a laugh.

Right on cue, _South Beach Sound_ started their live taping and Austin was soon introduced to the roaring crowd gathered.

Smiling and waving, he said into the microphone, "This song was written by my good friend, Ally Dawson. It's called, _Not a Love Song_."

**Not a Love Song:**

"_You're always on my mind  
I think about you all the time  
Um, no_

_Let's not talk about it_  
_Drama: we can live without it_  
_Catch a wave if we're bored_  
_There's a clock we'll ignore_  
_Find a way around it_

_Hey girl, I can tell there's something_  
_Even when you say it's nothing_  
_When you're playing with your hair_  
_Like you just don't care_  
_It's a tell you're bluffing_

_Now please don't take this the wrong way"_

Having abandoned the piano for the up-beat tempo that had taken over, he sang his heart out as he glanced around the crowd for one specific person. He didn't feel the same when he performed with Ally; that extra hit of excitement and adrenaline was missing.

But, what could that possibly mean? It wasn't like she sang with him. So far, she'd played the piano for him and danced alongside him. And it wasn't like she wasn't there to see his performance- she was right there in the audience, cheering him on and supporting him.

What did it all mean?

"_I love the things you do  
It's how you do the things you love  
Well it's not a love song, not a love song_

_I love the way you get me_  
_But correct me_  
_If I'm wrong_  
_This is not a love song, not a love song_

_I love that you bought a ticket_  
_And you don't make me watch a chick flick_  
_We've come so far_  
_Being just the way we are_  
_If it's not broke... don't fix it_

_I can't guess the meaning_  
_When you don't say what you're feeling_  
_If you got a broken heart,_  
_You can punch me in the arm_  
_Now that's what you're needing (that's what you're needing)_  
_Don't take this the wrong way:"_

Finally spotting her, Austin sent her a wink to show he could see her. Making his way smoothly across the stage, he pointed at her and made like he was going to pull her up on-stage with him.

He grinned from behind the microphone as she playfully batted his hand away. Winking once more at her, he danced around the stage to keep himself from actually pulling her up with him.

"_I love the things you do  
It's how you do the things you love  
Well it's not a love song, not a love song_

_I love the way you get me_  
_But correct me_  
_If I'm wrong_  
_This is not a love song, not a love song_

_I don't speak girl_  
_Like "Hey girl!"_  
_I don't quite understand a manicure_  
_But you're the only friend I'd take a shower for_  
_And I would hold your bags when you go shopping_  
_What a guy!_  
_What a guy!_

_I love the things you do_  
_It's how you do the things you love_  
_The way you sing it,_  
_Put me through it_  
_I guess I always knew it (I Always knew)_

_I love the way you get me_  
_But correct me_  
_If I'm wrong_  
_This is not a love song, not a love song"_

Ally laughed and cheered for her blonde friend, her claps keeping in time with the beat easily. Outwardly, she looked like she was having the time of her life watching amongst the crowd but, inwardly, she wished she had accepted Austin's offer of pulling her up onto the stage with him.

But why? Hadn't she sworn to never walk into the spotlight again? Yet, Austin made her crave to be on that stage with him with just a couple of winks?

What was happening to her?

What did it all mean?

"_I love the things you do,  
It's how you do the things you love  
But it's not a love song (no, definitely not a love song)  
Not a love song_

_I love the way you get me_  
_But correct me,_  
_If I'm wrong_  
_This is not a love song (it's not a love song)_  
_Not a love song_  
_This is not a love song (it's not a love song)_  
_Not a love song_  
_This is not a love song (it's not a love song)_  
_Not a love song"_

When he did his finish, Austin soaked in the wild applause he received, but his gaze only sought out one particular fan. When he found her, he had to force back the frown wanting to overtake his features.

Who was that guy she was talking to? Could it be… the guy she actually has a crush on?

For reasons unknown to him, his heart ached at the sight of her smile at the other guy. But, shouldn't he be happy? Ally didn't have romantic feelings for Austin, so wasn't it okay that she was showing interest in another?

Why wasn't he okay with this turn of events?

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**After the Performance**_

"Hey Austin," Ally called out, catching the blonde's attention away from his brooding. He'd been doing that since the filming for _South Beach Sound_ had ended, but it wasn't like she'd noticed. She'd been on cloud-nine since she had finally had a normal conversation with her crush, Dallas. It had been a short talk, but still!

"Yeah, what is it, Ally?" he replied, looking in her direction. He was sitting on the counter, his back facing the store's entrance.

He absently helped her up when she hopped up next to him. He smiled at the instinctive move, but gave her his undivided attention when she spoke.

"I didn't think of this before, but you do have the ability to write songs," she brightly informed him, smiling widely.

Austin raised a confused brow. "What do you mean?"

Ally started gesturing excitedly with her hands, and he absently found it adorable. "Back when you thought I had a crush on you, in the practice room? While I was showing you the love song, you were coming up with _lyrics_. I mean, it didn't go _with_ the song, but it was still lyrics. I think you just need to be feeling something _strongly_ enough in order to write a whole song."

Austin looked off to the side, his gaze unfocused as he thought over her words. He had been coming up with lyrics, hadn't he? Ones that were actually pretty good, too.

"Feel something _strongly_ enough, huh?" he murmured under his breath.

If that were true, then did that mean he **did** have some sort of strong feelings for Ally?

* * *

_**+++The End+++**_

_**Until next time!**_

_~Thank you for reading another chapter of my story! I really appreciate it, and would love it if you left me a review, please? Good or bad is welcome!~_

**PS: follow me on Twitter for updates/story ideas (or just random thoughts I feel should be shared) at azn_m**


	4. It's Me, It's You

"Doe Eyes & Puppy-Dog Pouts"

_It's Me, It's You_

**Disclaimer: Please check chapter one- it's the same thing! Do not own**

**Pairing**: Ally Dawson/Austin Moon

**Song(s) included**: "_It's Me, It's You_" by Ross Lynch

**Note**: On the romance-scale, this is more like a filler chapter but please still **read** and **review**, because it does contain important bonding moments! Thank you! ;) and special thanks to: **LoveShipper, livelyfingered, WAAAYtolazy, LOLOLOLOLO, and LivGirl16! :)**

* * *

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**With Ally, Austin, and Dez**_

For once not having to assist a customer, Ally eagerly ran over to Austin, who was… Cooking? with Dez… On a xylophone. Great.

"Austin," she called out, catching the blonde's attention. "Great news – I wrote another song I think you're gonna love!" Pausing, her doe-brown eyes couldn't help but glance pointedly at what the boys were doing. "What do you think you're doing?"

Austin grinned boyishly, metal spatula in hand. "We're combing my _awesome_ music skills with Dez's _mad_ cooking skills," he answered proudly.

"Here, try one," Dez happily suggested, flipping a burger. Austin held open a bun, which remained empty as the ginger haired teen flipped the burger again, but it ended up sticking to the window.

Ally watched in disgusted horror as Dez shrugged, scraped the burger off, then placed it neatly into the offered bun.

"Window burger?" the eccentric almost-director grinned.

She was tempted to slap it out of Austin's hand, if her look said anything. Instead, she glared at them. "Thanks, but I'm trying this new diet where _I don't eat disgusting things_."

Shrugging, Austin decided to eat it himself and walked with Ally back to the counter. "So, this new song?" he asked, curious and excited. He didn't even have to wait a month this time!

Removing the earphones from around her neck, the singer/songwriter placed them over her partner's ears for him, grinning. "This is going to be the best one we've ever done," she promised, "I think it fully captures who you are."

"Well, let's hear it," he enthused, and she pressed _play_ on the MP3 player she'd downloaded the song onto.

Humming, he smiled as he continued to listen to the music. Not long after, he pulled the earphones down. "This is great, Ally," he complimented, "I love it."

"Yay!" she cheered, "I'm so glad you like it!" Beyond happy, she blissfully walked away to get back to work before her father caught her slacking.

Austin turned to face Dez, his smile instantly turning into a concerned frown. "I hate it," he stated.

Right when his comment was given, Trish walked in. Wearing a giant slice of cheese, she huffed in annoyance at the blonde. "Well, excuse me, but this happens to be my uniform at _Cheese Out of My League_. I have to wear it!"

Dez smiled. "Hey, at least that place is better than _Cheese Alright_."

"Guys, can we get back to my problem?" Austin cut in, frustrated. "I hate it."

"Oh, maybe some of my drum-chili will help with that," his best friend suggested, lifting up a rather large drum onto the counter and stirring the chili within. Heaping out a big spoonful, he plopped it onto Austin's burger.

Giving Dez a weird look, the blonde said, "No, I meant Ally's song – I don't like it."

Dez sighed in a dramatic way. "Why didn't you just say so?" Then, before Austin or Trish could stop him, he heaped another spoonful onto the MP3 player in Austin's other hand.

Gaping, all the blonde Internet sensation could do was state, "When Ally finds out, she's gonna kill you."

_**+++Miami Food Court:**_

_**With Austin and Dez (and Trish)**_

While Trish was 'helping' a customer at the cheese stand, Austin and Dez were playing a version of _Go Fish_, but with various types of sliced cheese. By the looks of things, the ginger haired boy was winning.

"Do you have any cheddar?" Dez asked seriously, his gaze focused on the game.

Austin sighed, but peeled off a slice of cheese from his hand and passed it across the table.

Eagerly taking it, Dez took a huge bite but instantly grimaced. "This isn't cheddar! This is Pepper Jack!" In outrage, he threw the cheese down and stared at his friend.

Austin sighed again. "Sorry, Dez," he apologized. "It's just – I'm worried about how I should tell Ally that I don't like her song. I don't wanna hurt her feelings!" God, he would do anything to avoid that. An angry or upset Ally equaled a depressed Austin.

Trish walked over in that moment, obviously not caring about her job. When did she? "I'm sure Ally's lyrics can't be that bad," she commented in defense of her best friend.

"Oh no," Austin scoffed. Picking up the sheet music, he read, "_I'm a sensitive guy, sad movies and sunsets make me cry_. I hate sad movies and why would I cry when the sun sets?"

Dez stared off into the distance, his eyes becoming teary. "Good bye, Mr. Sun. You won't be back until tomorrow," he said sorrowfully, sniffling.

The Latina sent him an annoyed glance but turned her attention onto Austin. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think you should be honest with her."

"Get her a pickle basket!" Dez put in, his expression brightening as quick as lightning.

Trish smacked the edge of her uniform against the ginger haired irritation, and he yelped at the sudden attack on his person.

"What?" he asked, incredulous. His idea was incredible! "Ally loves pickles."

"She also loves honesty!"

"Well, _excuse me_," he shot back defensively, "I don't have an 'honesty' basket – I only have a pickle basket!" Reaching to the side, he pulled up said item with a flourish.

Taking in their words, Austin knew what he had to do. With a small smile, he said, "Yeah, I should tell her the truth. There's nothing to be afraid of." Turning to slide out of his chair, he let out a short scream as he came face-to-face with Ally.

Not knowing exactly how hard his heart was pounding from the surprise, Ally grinned at her blonde friend. "Hey, what are you guys talking about?"

Seeing as how the boys were gaping like fish, Trish blurted out, "I was just telling them how uncomfortable my uniform is. I mean, this entire thing is made out of cheese – including my underwear!"

Dez snapped out of his shock, but it wasn't to help the conversation Austin knew he'd be having with Ally at some point. "I wear cheese underwear! They breathe easier, especially the Swiss."

"Why Swiss?" Trish asked, though the question was supposed to be rhetorical.

But, this was Dez, so he took it as a serious inquiry. "Because, Goat Cheese is too squishy!"

Not needing to hear anymore, Ally turned an eager expression onto Austin, who gulped quietly at the look. "So, was your earlier scream for how excited you are about the new song? It's the best one I've ever written and, like I said before, it's perfect for you."

Uncomfortable, he began to nervously dig his fingers through his hair with one hand. "Yeah, about that…" he trailed off. "I need to tell you something."

"Sure, go ahead."

"Um, uh…" Austin struggled with what he wanted to say. He **really** didn't want to hurt Ally's feelings. How could he tell her that he didn't like her song? She was so proud of it! She said it was the best she'd ever written! (although, he highly doubted that; Ally was **talented**)

Why did she have to be so gosh-darned proud? Why did she have to say it was her best?

Most importantly: How was he supposed to give her negative feedback when she gazed at him with those heart-melting, doe-brown eyes?!

Seriously, in situations like this, they should be illegal!

Mustering up some strength, Austin turned to their friends for moral support. "Guys, a little help here?" he practically begged.

Okay, so much for 'moral support' but he was only human! He was fine with taking the coward's way out.

Trish and Dez stuttered.

"Can't," Trish quickly said, "I'm not here!" With that, she ducked down into her cheese uniform until you couldn't see her limbs and you were left with a giant hunk of cheese.

When Austin turned his desperate gaze onto Dez, the ginger haired teen panicked and started stuffing their cheese 'cards' into his mouth.

"Can't talk – I have cheese in my mouth!"

_Some friends you are_, Austin dryly thought, but he had bigger things to worry about. And, by 'big', he meant his petite brunette of a songwriter. Who was still waiting for him to say something.

"Well then," Ally commented, in reference to their friends. "You were saying, Austin?"

And he was back to being uncomfortable and trying to find the right words to say.

"Uh, I wanted to say…" His gaze lighted up, and he snatched the pickle basket Dez had brought. "I wanted to give you this pickle basket!"

Taking it, she cooed gratefully, "Aw, thanks, Austin. I do _love_ pickles." Removing one, she took a healthy but dainty bite.

Austin mentally breathed a sigh of relief. He'd missed the bullet so far, but it wouldn't be long before he'd have to face the barrel of the gun again.

… Did he **really** just think of that type of metaphor at a time like this?

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**With Austin and Ally- The Next Day**_

When Austin walked through the doors of the practice room, he was confident his plan would work. He'd spent most of the night perfecting it and he was sure with Ally's caring nature she wouldn't push or question it.

So, when he walked straight up to her, he hoarsely said, "I don't think I can sing, Ally. I'm not feeling so good."

Yeah, so what if he was playing sick? Like he said, he was fine with taking the coward's way out.

"Oh no," Ally instantly said in concern, her brown eyes darkening with the emotion. Her small hands fluttered over his person, like she could somehow heal him of his illness but not knowing how. "This is terrible. You should have stayed in bed and texted me instead of coming down here."

Austin immediately felt bad but he wasn't going to blow his cover now. That would just put him back into performing and he didn't want that either.

"But I knew how important this was to you," he croaked out, adding a cough at the end to keep his voice harsh. Vaguely, he hoped he wasn't abusing his throat too horribly.

Ally smiled sweetly. "That's sweet, Austin, but your health is way more important." Taking his arm gently, she began leading him towards the couch that had been moved out of the way for that day's performance. "Here, take a seat. No, you better lie down. I'll go tell the DJ we'll have to reschedule. Don't move."

Austin sat, his guilt almost overwhelming him into confessing he wasn't really sick. Leave it to Ally's kindness and generosity to make him feel this way.

Why couldn't he just tell her the truth again?

Oh, right. He wanted to spare her feelings.

She was **so** going to hate him if she found out about this being a scam.

"Hey Austin," Dez brightly greeted, walking over to the blonde with his camera in hand. "I'm ready to film when you are."

"We're not filming anything," Austin stated, speaking in his normal voice. "I told Ally I was sick, so she's rescheduling with the DJ." Although a person wouldn't be able to hear the guilt in his voice, one could see it on his boyish face.

Dez hummed in understanding, nodding more energetically than needed. "Oh, I see. I thought you finally told her that you didn't like her song," he admitted.

"What?" Ally's soft, hurt-filled voice said. It caught the two boys' attention, and they whipped their heads in her direction.

Austin stood abruptly from the couch, his stomach cramping at the crushed expression in her eyes. "Ally…" he trailed off, not sure what to say. Not sure how to make this better.

"You don't like my song?" she repeated, lips pursing into a sad frown.

Guiltily, he slumped his shoulders. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely. It was the only thing he could think to say in that second. He felt so horrible.

Not bothering to say anything else, she clenched her fists in her dress's skirt before fast-walking out of the practice room. She didn't even bother to slam the door, and Austin thought that was the worst part of her exit.

Ally always slammed the door behind her when she was upset. This was something… **more**.

_**+++Practice Room:**_

_**Later that Day**_

Aimlessly, Ally played the keys on the piano. Her eyes were unfocused, and her thoughts were a complete mess. Why? Why hadn't Austin just told her he didn't like her song? Instead of working on it together, he chose to let her rant and rave about it like a fool.

Why hadn't he just said from the **beginning** that he hadn't liked the song?

Okay, sure, maybe it would've hurt her feelings, but she would've gotten over it quickly and then would have asked for his input on how to improve it. It wouldn't be the first time someone critiqued her work and found it lacking. She'd been Ally-D since she was seven – one would think she would have heard it all before.

And she had. People either loved and adored her or hated her work. It was fine – not everyone had to be a fan.

But, did Austin really have to be so cruel about her song? She was just asking for a little honesty! Was that too much to ask?

"Ally," Austin's voice called out quietly, and Ally instantly froze her piano playing.

She turned to look at the apologetic blonde, her expression unreadable. "What is it?" she sulkily asked. Unknown to her, her bottom lip poked out in a sad pout.

Austin paused at the sight, wondering if she realized how cute that made her look. Shaking his head, he got back to why he'd sought her out. "I wanted to apologize again about earlier. I should have told you that I hadn't liked the song."

Ally slowly stood, her arms wrapping around her slim waist protectively. "Why didn't you?" Her eyes connected with his, clearly searching for a real answer.

Okay, seriously, the girl could already pull off the big, doe-eyed look, now she was totally stealing his puppy-dog pout. What was worst: she was doing them _at the same time_! Can he call a game misconduct on that?

Knowing these ridiculous thoughts were surfacing due to nerves (and a guilty conscience), Austin charged ahead with what he needed to say.

"I didn't want to hurt your feelings. You were so excited about it – I didn't know how to tell you how I felt."

Ally took in his words for consideration, including the unconscious pout he was throwing in. Still a little hurt, she lightly smiled and said, "Well, at least this way was better than embarrassing me in front of millions of fans."

Austin perked up at that. "You really think millions of fans were watching?" At her dry look, he chuckled sheepishly. "Right. Not the point. So, what do you think we should do?"

"Well, what was wrong with the song, for starters?" she asked, beginning to relax. Despite being hurt by his actions, she liked that he was willing to work things out with her.

"It's a good song," he seriously stated. He wanted to reassure her of that, because it was. "But, it's about how serious and sensitive I am. That's more like you. " Smiling, he added, "I'm more chill. You know, '_What-Up_'?"

Ally scoffed, rolling her eyes as she dropped her hands to lay limp at her sides. "I can be chill," she said. To prove her point, she placed an awkward hand on her hip while the other touched her head. The pose would have worked, except you could tell she was stiff and uncomfortable. "See? Totally chill."

He had to suppress a grin, but he nodded. Unconvincingly. "Oh yeah, that's totally chilling," he said.

Pacing where he stood to release his pent up emotions, he continued to speak as Ally listened closely. "It just seems like you don't know me at all. I like having fun – you know, breaking the rules." Eyes lighting up, he picked up a coloring book he'd been working on a couple of days ago. "Coloring outside the lines!"

Confused and a little disturbed by this little revelation, she asked, "Why do you have a coloring book?" And, not that she'd ever say this to his face, but he had the coloring skills of a three-year-old. Well, that would insult three-year-olds, now, wouldn't it?

But, she also found it… rather adorable. She guessed.

Austin chuckled, clutching the book closer. "I like having fun! **I'm** fun."

Okay, now she was a bit offended by that remark.

Snatching the coloring book, Ally flipped to a clean page and grabbed a crayon – red, of course. It was her favorite color.

"I can have fun," she defensively said, "I can color outside the lines!" Putting the tip of the crayon purposefully near the edge of a line, she paused uncertainly.

Then, she threw the crayon down. "I can't color outside the lines."

Expecting this, the blonde teen gave her a semi-smug expression but didn't say anything.

"So maybe I don't know you very well," she admitted, an idea coming to her. "But we've only been partners for a short time. How about we just spend more time together?"

Did she really just suggest they spend more time together? When Austin had first mentioned it while they were just getting started, the thought alone had spread dread throughout her chest. Now, however, Ally felt this was a good, solid idea.

My, how things have reversed.

Austin nodded enthusiastically, liking the suggestion. "Yeah, I bet if we hang out more, we could learn a bunch of stuff about each other. This could help improve our songwriting, too!"

"Great!" Ally exclaimed, starting to get excited. "You can do things I like, and I can do things you like."

Quite frankly, he was just happy she didn't hate him for earlier. "Cool, what should we do first?"

She started to glance around for inspiration, but she smiled widely when a certain t-shirt caught her eye. Lifting the pale blue material, she happily said, "My Cloud Watching club meets in five minutes."

With a small, excited squeak, she fast-walked out of the room to change. Austin found the sound cute, kind of like a fluffy squirrel, but dread filled his chest at her idea of 'fun'.

"Oh yay," he breathed sarcastically then followed her example of leaving the practice room.

_**+++Cloud Watchers Club:**_

_**With Ally and Austin**_

Although he was yawning every few minutes, he enjoyed watching how Ally would point out random shapes in the sky. If it wasn't a car with wings, it was a pineapple in a canoe. All he saw was:

"A big, white puffy thing."

And, what did he get for his effort?

Glares through the binoculars of the other members of the club and several, "Boo!"s from them. Well, and a disappointed look from Ally, which actually made him feel guilty for not actually trying hard enough.

"Come on, you're not even trying," Ally pointed out, which made him wonder if she could read his mind. Then again, he was a pretty open book when it came to his emotions.

And maybe Ally knew him better than they both realized.

"Okay, okay," Austin said, looking back up to try again. Anything to get her to stop looking at him with that disappointed face. He couldn't stand it. "I see… A snowman eating marshmallows." He even squinted his eyes to be sure.

A scoff escaped her lips, and he glanced back down at her. With a smug smile, she easily refuted his claim by saying, "No, it's not. It's obviously a bunny on a bicycle. How can you not see that?"

But he squinted to be sure!

Turning to her fellow club members, she jerked a thumb in his direction. "Hey, can you believe this guy?"

Several shook their heads, clearly laughing at him or wondering what was wrong with him that he couldn't see the bunny. On. A. Bicycle.

_Well, excuse me for being fun!_ he thought in self-defense.

He watched the others leave, relieved that the torture session was over. "Okay, so now that that is over, I know you a little better," he said, smiling at her. Then frowned. "You like really lame things."

Ally rolled her eyes, not taking offense with his comment. "Let's see you try to do better," she challenged, smirking at her blonde companion.

"Oh, I will," he confidently said back. Wrapping an arm around her slim shoulders, he dragged her closer to a poster taped to an advertising board. "I'm taking you to _this_."

'This' was a horror movie festival, titled, _Florida Fright Fest_.

Dez appeared out of nowhere, a frown on his freckled face. "I was supposed to go with you to that," he said, slightly offended he was being ditched. And for a girl, too! Would the insults never cease?

Ally saw an out, so she was going to take it. "You two have fun. I hate horror movies. They're so boring and highly unrealistic. I can't stand them."

Austin gave her a dry look. "More boring than staring at clouds all day?" he rhetorically asked. He knew what her answer would be if he'd asked that seriously.

Dez laughed, agreeing with his best friend. "Yeah, what's more boring than cloud watching?" Looking at the sky, he instantly pointed and gasped, "Oh look! Check it out – a bunny on a bicycle!"

As Ally shot a smug smile at Austin, he pouted and said defensively, "It's not a bunny on a bicycle!" Throwing his hands up in exasperation, he walked away. He refused to be ridiculed again.

When Austin was out of sight, Ally looked at Dez. "It's a bunny on a bicycle."

"Oh yeah," he agreed, nodding. "How could he not see that?"

_**+++Florida Fright Fest:**_

_**With Austin and Ally**_

Dressed as a swamp creature, Austin complained to a swamp bride-Ally, "How could you **not** like _Swamp Bride_? There was a wedding – Don't girls **like** weddings?"

Ally gave him a dry look and replied in an even drier voice, "The swamp guy ate the bridesmaids." Were they watching the same movie? Then again, she did fall asleep for a few minutes, on and off, during the film. For all she knew, Austin had left and came back when it was over.

He laughed. "That's because they ran out of appetizers!"

Throwing her hands up in exasperation, she pointedly walked towards the snack cart. "This is all just so silly," she said, "I mean, look at what they're selling. Chewy eyeballs? Chocolate intestines?"

"Don't forget Red Veins," he included, grabbing some to eat with a cheery smile.

Wrinkling her nose (cutely, Austin might add), she led him away from the cart. They stopped, however, when they saw a theater employee they knew.

"Hey Walter," the pair greeted with a casual smile.

Walter rounded on them, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Don't act all friendly-like," he said, his voice lower and growling slightly. "You littered in my theater."

Austin and Ally exchanged confused glances. How could they have littered when they never had anything with them to start with?

"We didn't litter," the blonde stated, still a bit confused.

"Oh, really?" Walter said, holding out a closed hand. "Then, how do you explain _this_?" Opening his hand, he revealed a piece of popcorn.

Ally stated, "That's popcorn." Her _duh_-tone was only heard by Austin, who smirked in amusement.

Walter, however, continued to glare suspiciously. "How would you know what it was if you hadn't littered?"

"Because, we know what popcorn looks like?" she answered patiently. Could this night get anymore weird?

Stepping closer to Austin, Walter made a hand gesture with his fingers that rapidly said, _My eyes are on you_. "I'm watching you," he warned, glaring right into the other boy's eyes. Then, he walked away, still casting paranoid glances over his shoulder at Austin.

To break the weird silence the theater employee left in his wake, Austin blurted out, "Why did those warnings get directed at _me_? I barely spoke five words to the guy!"

Ally giggled, having noticed that too.

"Hey," he smirked, "I wouldn't be laughing if I were you. He probably has a crush on you!" And why that thought left a funny feeling in his stomach, he'll never know. It's not like Ally would ever think about dating Walter – that would be ridiculous! And, in the words of Ally, highly unrealistic.

Before she could retaliate with a comeback, Dez snuck up from behind and tried to scare her with his _Zaliens_ costume.

Instead of being afraid and clinging to Austin to save her (which the blonde sort of hoped for, secretly), she gave their ginger haired friend a dry look. She hadn't even twitched at his arrival!

"Uh, hi Dez," she greeted, glancing at his costume. "What are you supposed to be? An alien-zombie?"

Offended she would say such a thing, he said, "No! A zombie-alien. It's my favorite character from one of my thirteen all-time favorite _Zaliens_ movies." With that, he started counting all of them on his fingers.

When he was finished naming them, Ally thought she should point out, "You forgot _Zaliens 6_."

Dez scoffed, "Oh please, I wish I could forget." With a last huff, he walked away.

Before more could be said, Ally's attention was caught by Nelson, the little boy she was tutoring in several instruments. She smiled, but was confused as to why he was dressed like he was getting ready for a boxing match.

"Hey guys," Nelson greeted, punching Austin in the stomach with a few jabs that were faster than either teen expected. But the blonde was a good sport and pretended the hits hurt. "Are you ready for the _Fight Fest_?"

"Uh, Nelson," Ally said, catching his small wrists to stop his assault on her friend. "It's _**Fright**__ Fest_, not _**Fight**__ Fest_."

The glasses-wearing boy stared for a second before snapping his fingers the best he could through his gloves. "Aw, narts," he said, a pout beginning to form. "I practiced my right hook all week!"

Austin pretended to rub his mid-section like it had been bruised. "I think your practice paid off, buddy," he stated, mock-wincing.

Nelson grinned, walking off with a final wave at his favorite teacher and favorite idol.

"_Aw_," Ally cooed, looking at Austin with an adoring expression.

He shrugged, grinning modestly. "I know – I'm a nice guy."

The small moment was broken when Trish came into view, her costume easily a copy of Dez's. "Guess who's ready to get her _Zalien_ on?" she sang out, showing off her outfit proudly (for once).

When Dez happened to stand behind Trish, Ally let out a scream of fright, eyes almost bugging out of her sockets. She was so scared, she backed up into Austin, who steadied her with a hand at the small of her back.

Incredulous and a bit offended, Dez asked, "Seriously? We're wearing the _same_ costume, but you're scared of **her**?"

Ally wasn't sure if it was safe to let her gaze wander anywhere else between the two. "That's not why I'm afraid," she said, eyes still wide. Her tone becoming offensive, she added, "I'm scared because you two have something _in common_."

Although he liked when she unconsciously sought him for comfort, Austin nodded in agreement as he stared at their two friends. This would be the first time since Team Austin was created that Dez and Trish had agreed on something – Scary.

"Yeah, that is pretty creepy," he agreed, eyes wider than normal as the thought fully sank into his head.

The same realization must have occurred to the two in question, because they screamed too, and looked each up and down in horror.

Desperate for sanity to return, Dez blurted out a question, "Best _Zalien_ movie, ever?"

Trish scoffed, "Uh duh, _Zaliens 3_. Best scene in it?"

"Uh duh, when the _Zaliens_ take the shape of teachers and eat the entire football team."

Beginning to panic now, Trish tried to smooth the situation down by saying, "Okay, so we have a few things in common. That doesn't make us friends! In fact, I bet it's just a coincidence."

Dez shot out another question to prove she was right, "Favorite number between one and a billion?"

What were the odds it would be the same one with such a huge range of numbers?

"Two!" they answered at the same time, which made the groups' jaws drop in astonishment.

Apparently, the odds were very good.

As Ally and Austin watched Trish and Dez scream and '_Zalien_ brain suck' each other, the former couldn't help but feel a little envious that it had been so easy for them to find common ground, while it was taking all day for her and Austin to achieve the same thing.

I mean, they hadn't even meant to do it! That just made it all the more messed up, in her book.

Dryly, she stated, "This is by-far the scariest thing I've seen all day." And the most envy-inspiring, but she would never admit that out loud.

From behind her, Austin shrugged. "I don't know," he replied casually, "I think it's kind of nice. It's cool they have something in common, you know?"

Ally leaned her head back against his shoulder until her eyes could connect with his. By the sparkle within his chocolate depths, she could tell what he was planning.

When his hand lifted, she rolled her eyes and caught his wrist. "Don't suck my brain," she dryly reprimanded, but a small smile was curving her lips up.  
"_Aw_," he whined. Then, thinking better of it, he nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I wouldn't know what to do with your brain. It's probably _huge_!"

His accompanying grin was boyishly charming and teasing, so she smiled back. "Well, now it's my turn again. Get ready because this is my _absolute_ favorite place!" With her fingers still clasped around his wrist, she dragged him behind her as she fast-walked away from the _Fright Fest_.

_**+++Mall Pond:**_

_**With Austin and Ally**_

"The mall's pond?" Austin couldn't help but ask, his disinterested voice telling more than words how he felt about being there.

"Yeah," Ally answered lightly, "I come here when I'm stuck on lyrics or need a new song idea. Creative inspiration, you know?" Taking a seat on the stone bench, she patted the seat next to her. "Here, have a seat."

He looked down at the bench and immediately shook his head. "I'm not sitting on that bench."

Sighing in exasperation, she asked, "Do you have to hate everything I like?"

"It's not that," he answered, then snickered, "There's goose poop on there."

Ally shuddered in disgust and stood abruptly. "_Ew_." Wiping her hands on her swamp bride-dress, she continued explaining, "Anyway, I sit –or used to –on that bench and watch the geese, and write in my book. My best songs came from being in this place."

A fond, almost embarrassed smile appeared on her face, and she added, "Well, and with the help of Pickles."

Austin enjoyed how happy this place made her, but he couldn't help but tease, "Ally, I already know how much you love pickles."

"No," she said, laughing lightly. Grabbing his arm, she pulled him closer to her so he would stay. Pointing at something in the tall reeds, she said, "_That's_ Pickles."

He was about to question her sanity when a full grown goose came out, squawking in greeting.

Ally forgot about the goose poop and retook a seat on the bench in order to pet Pickles easier. "I've been coming here to hang out with him since I was a little girl. Just seeing and watching him helps me when I have writer's block."

For the record, Austin really did try to make a connection between Ally and her goose, and him with his horror movies.

"Oh, I get it. It's kind of like how I feel about horror movies. There's just something about all that brain-sucking, bloody gore that gets my adrenaline pumping – like when I'm about to perform!"

Of course, all Ally did was laugh. But, hey, he wasn't going to complain. He liked it when she laughed.

"Don't you think he's cute?" she asked, still facing her goose.

"Are you asking me or the goose that?" he teased, grinning.

In answer, Pickles honked at him and Austin jumped slightly at the unexpected sound directed at him.

Holding his hands up in surrender, he quickly replied, "Alright – You're cute!"

Ally shot an amused smile at Austin, glanced back to Pickles, but did a double take as something behind the blonde singer caught her attention.

"Oh no," she said, a frown replacing her smile. Standing, she walked closer to see the sign better. "They're turning the pond into a parking lot." She cast a mournful look at Austin, and he frowned too. "What's going to happen to Pickles?"

Thinking at the drop of a hat had never been his strong suit… which was proven with the first thing to pop out of his mouth:

"How about we take him to that store with all those ducks in the window?" he suggested.

Ally gave him a horrified expression. "That's a _Chinese Restaurant_," she hissed quietly, as if she was afraid of Pickles overhearing their conversation.

Huffing, she walked passed him to Pickles, and Austin started searching his brain for something to say to soothe her.

"Okay, calm down. We can call a zoo and – What are you doing?" The last came out in surprise, his jaw dropping as he watched his songwriter lift the goose and begin arranging her dress over him.

Ally gave him a look that clearly said, _Keep up, would ya?_ "Stealing a goose," she said, a desperate edge entering her voice. Then again, if she'd said it casually, Austin would have been sure her sanity had finally cracked. "I need Pickles! Who else is going to help me write your songs?"

Well, he was impressed. **Really** impressed. And intrigued by this new side to Ally Dawson he'd never seen before. It was refreshing to see her losing her cool and calm; just breaking the rules, in general. No one could blame him for his burst of excitement.

"Awesome! I never thought I'd actually see the day where you would be dressed as a swamp bride, stealing a goose… and running away from a security guard!"

Ally scoffed, "What security guard are you talking about?"

The beam of a flashlight and someone shouting, "Hey!" was answer enough, and Ally bolted before she could get into trouble. It wasn't just her life on the line, after all. Not anymore.

She had to do everything possible to save Pickles!

Austin was left speechless where he stood, his chocolate eyes staring after the petite brunette.

He'd never seen her run so fast before!

Suddenly, the flashlight beam was aimed at his face, and he snapped back to reality. With another shout from the security guard, the blonde quickly sprinted after his partner before he got caught too. After all, it wouldn't be good if he started his career with a record, right?

_**+++Movie Theater:**_

_**With Trish and Dez (and Austin and Ally)**_

Trish burst out laughing as Dez scared a guy sitting in front of them. Leaning forward, she unconvincingly said, "I apologize for my friend. He's very immature."

When they grumbled but nodded, turning back to the horror movie, Trish and Dez exchanged mischievous glances. Then, Trish leaned forward and scared the guy sitting in front of her. What made the little joke funnier was that the girl between the two guys got rained on by popcorn twice!

Laughing, neither friend felt the need to apologize this time – it wouldn't have meant anything, and they simply weren't sorry. They were finally getting along; why mess with the new system?

As the two cackled in their seats, Austin and Ally fast-walked inside.

"Why did we come back here?" the brunette asked, then paused to give Austin a dry look. "You just wanted to catch the ending to _Zaliens 5_, didn't you?"

He smiled sheepishly, unapologetic. "Hey, at least this way, we're killing two birds with one stone," he said in his defense.

From under her dress's skirt, Pickles honked in protest.

"It's _just_ an expression," Austin said, giving the spot where he thought the goose was a small glare. "We're not killing any birds." Besides, he didn't think Pickles would taste good. That, and Ally would slap him upside the head if she found out he'd cooked her feathered friend.

From behind Ally, a flashlight beam was bouncing in their direction and Austin thought, at first, it was the security guard, but he relaxed his shoulders as Walter came into view.

"_Ssh_," the theater employee hissed, mostly towards Austin. "There's no talking during the movie."

Pickles honked again, which prompted Ally to step closer to Austin for cover.

Walter stared in shock at the swamp bride-girl. "Did you just honk at me?" he asked, incredulous.

"No, of course not," she instantly answered, smiling nervously.

Wanting the attention off her, Austin spoke up, "It was me! I honked at you." To add emphasis to his claim, he did his best to imitate the goose. "_Honk!_" Wow, that sounded more convincing than he'd thought.

Walter stared at him suspiciously and a little angrily. "Well, I happen to speak _Goose_," he declared, "And that was not a nice thing to say! That type of language won't be tolerated in here."

Disturbed by this new bit of information, Austin shrugged helplessly, but honked again, "_Honk?_" Needless to say, he felt ridiculous but he would do it all over again if it kept Ally out of trouble. It was sort-of his fault. "That's what I meant to say, Walter. Sorry."

The other guy's eyes softened. "Well, apology accepted." Then, his usual frown was back in place and his hand was waving rapidly in that gesture that meant, _I've got my eyes on you_. "But I'm **still** watching you."

When he walked away to make sure no one littered in his theater, Ally led Austin to sit next to Trish and Dez. Pickles, however, wouldn't stop honking the moment Ally's butt made contact with the seat.

Trish asked, "Ally, what is in your dress?"

The brunette gave her a friend a nervous smile. "Oh, you know, just Pickles the goose," she casually answered but with a strained note. "The pond is being torn down for a new parking lot, so we have to find him a new home."

Pickles started honking more frequently, which caused several people, including Nelson, to shush in the four friends' direction.

"Ally, you're gonna have to do something to quiet Pickles," Austin said, keeping his voice down to not rile Pickles further.

She gave him a small, frustrated moan. "I think he's hungry."

"Oh," Trish said, her expression brightening. "There's popcorn all over the ground. He can eat that."

"Good idea," the brunette said. Carefully arranging her dress around, she managed to grab Pickles and gently set him on the floor. Although not healthy, the buttery kernels would have to do for now.

When she started to sit straight again, her gaze landed on Dez's empty seat. "Hey, guys, where did Dez go?" she curiously asked.

Her question was soon answered when Dez popped his head up from the row behind them. "Did you guys know that they have free popcorn down here?" he asked, smiling. Not waiting for a response, he ducked down to begin eating again.

Trish, Ally, and Austin were left in an awkward silence as they processed their eccentric friend's words, but that soon changed when Dez popped his head back up, right between Austin and Ally.

"Uh, we have a problem," he announced.

Ally responded, "We have a problem? You're eating popcorn off this disgusting floor." Her nose wrinkled at the thought, and Austin found the expression pretty cute, though he agreed with her.

"No," Dez said, "Pickles climbed under the seats."

Panicking, the three seated members of Team Austin began searching for the wayward goose. However, Nelson's small shout had them whipping their heads in his direction.

"_Ow_! Something just bit me," the little boy exclaimed, his hand reaching down to grab his leg. "_Ow_! It bit me again!" When everyone shushed him, he called out, "There's a _Zalien_ in here!"

As everyone began fidgeting in their seats and glancing around, Ally felt the need to clarify things, "It's not a _Zalien_ – it's a goose!"

The announcement wasn't needed, seeing as how Pickles started going around, honking in unsuspecting ears and causing people to jump and rain popcorn on their neighbors. At one point, he started biting people from under their seats, which made more than a few patrons shoot to their feet.

Trish yelped, as did Ally in the next second. Austin followed the girls soon after, but hadn't jumped nearly as far up as the brunette. In fact, Ally had hopped to her feet and had nearly planted herself half-way into the blonde's lap.

Not that he had time to think much of that. Pickles's next victim was Nelson again, and the boy's imagination was too great, especially considering they were in a horror movie.

"I'm telling you – it's a _Zalien_! Run for your lives!"

Then, chaos broke out in the movie theater. People started screaming and pushing each other out of the way, and popcorn flew everywhere. Walter even got mixed into the fray, but he was trying to calm everyone down.

Of course, he didn't expect on dealing with Trish and Dez. The two were calling out the opposite of what he was trying to create, which was a peaceful environment where everyone exited in an orderly manner; oh, and didn't litter all over his floor.

Meanwhile, Austin had grabbed Ally's hand securely so that he wouldn't lose her in all the madness that had broken out around them. He stood with her to the side, both desperately trying to locate her missing goose.

Unknown to the two, their hands were still clasped.

Pickles honked again, which drew their attention to the other side of the theater. Walter happened to also be on that side, and it appeared as though man and goose were locked in a mortal combat of wills.

"That's it, goose," Walter said, crawling forward, "Nobody wrecks my theater and gets away with it!"

Before Ally or Austin could protest, Pickles flew at Walter and started attacking the theater employee, his wings flapping for balance.

While Trish, Dez and Austin laughed at the predicament, Ally couldn't help but gap at the scene with worry.

Austin squeezed the hand he was holding to gain her attention. "This is awesome," he said, chuckling as he looked again at Walter and Pickles.

She stared at him incredulously. "_Awesome_?" she asked, "Pickles just caused a massive panic in the theater and is now attacking Walter. How is this _awesome_?"

He swung their joined hands lightly, wanting her to live a little in this moment. "_Because_ Pickles just caused a massive panic in the theaters _and_ is now attacking Walter," he replied, grinning. "Come on, just look at this from my perspective. **This** is _funny_."

Ally reluctantly glanced back to Pickles and Walter. As the two fought (Pickles obviously winning), she started to laugh as it all sunk in. "You're right – this is pretty funny!" she giggled.

She watched as Walter ran down the aisle, Pickles still attached to him, and Trish and Dez made their way closer to the her and Austin.

In need of getting back at the theater employee for all his suspicious glares, Austin called out, "Hey, Walter, there's no screaming in the movie theater!"

This just caused Ally to break out into more hysterical giggles, as did Trish and Dez. The four friends laughed and bonded in a way that hadn't happened before until that very moment, and Ally and Austin felt truly united in that second as they grinned at each other.

_Finally_, they had found some common ground.

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**With Austin and Ally**_

Austin walked into his favorite store, smiling when he immediately saw Ally sitting on one of the cushioned seats in the front. "Hey, what are you doing?" he curiously asked, spotting the mostly yellow fabric in her lap.

She set down her knitting to face him. "Pickles is going to an animal reserve," she answered. Grinning proudly, she held up what she'd been sewing. "So, I knitted him some wet-footie pajamas."

There she went again with that proud smile, he thought. He didn't have the heart to tell her that she was going to make Pickles look like a duck, but he also didn't know if Pickles would be offended if he didn't say something. I mean, were ducks and geese enemies? What about chickens? He just didn't know, so chose to keep his mouth shut.

But he did decide to admit, "I'm glad we got to hang out yesterday. It was fun."

Ally smiled brightly. "Me too. I feel as though we're a lot closer now. So what if we're different? I think it'll just make us better partners."

"Of course." His gaze becoming concerned, he asked, "Are you sure you're gonna be okay without Pickles?"

"Yeah, I will be. Besides, I got a new goose. His name is Austin," she admitted.

Austin began to look eagerly around, grinning "Cool! You named a goose after me? Where is he?"

Ally laughed, which brought his attention back to her. "It's you, silly," she said, playfully pushing his arm. "You're my goose."

His smile immediately dropped and his eyes widened in panic. "Why? Who told you I pooped on a bench? It's not like I knew any better – I was two!" He held up two fingers to add emphasis.

He saw the way she pursed her lips to keep from laughing, and his panic slowly died. "It's a metaphor," she slowly, soothingly said. "I don't need Pickles anymore to help me write songs _because I have you_."

"Oh, thanks Ally," he said, smiling again. Leaning slightly forward, he whispered, "You won't tell anyone about the whole pooped-on-a-bench-thing, right?"

Ally leaned forward until their noses almost touched. She winked. "Your secret is safe with me," she whispered back, smiling sweetly.

Austin grinned, leaning back so they were back to their original positions. "So, you wanna work on that new song, now?" he asked, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

Walking over to the piano, she excitedly said, "Don't need to. I already wrote a new one, and this one I _know_ you'll love."

"Awesome. Show it to me," he replied, taking his usual seat next to the brunette. Despite the other day's fiasco, he knew Ally wouldn't let him down.

Her slim fingers played over the piano's keys, and his head bobbed slowly as he listened to the beat she created with a few notes that had him magically transported into her little world. She was right:

He loved it.

_**+++Practice Room:**_

_**Austin's Performance**_

Ally had invited some of their friends from school to be a part of their video but, despite the pretty girls, Austin chose to dance with her again, like when he had performed "_A Billion Hits_". His hand didn't once let go of hers, and she was happy there weren't any counters he could jump on and drag her with him this time.

**It's Me, It's You:**

"_I like the bass when it booms  
You like the high-end treble  
I'm like the ninety-ninth floor  
And you're cool on street level_

_I like the crowd rock, rock, rock, rocking it loud  
You like the sound of hush, hush  
Hey! Keep it down_

_High tops, flip flops, retro, dance, pop  
We rock different ways  
Beach bum, city fun, touchdown, home run  
What can I say - aay – aay"_

Austin smiled as he fast-walked with Ally towards a certain seat set up in the room. He wasn't willing to release her hand, so paused in his singing for a quick second to spin the chair around, thus revealing Walter.

He heard Ally laugh as she saw the bandages he was wrapped in, thanks to Pickles. Austin had to grin at the sight, too. Of course he would include a reminder of how they had found their common ground – it was an important factor in their partnership.

"_It's me, (it's me)  
It's you (it's you)  
I know we're not the same, but we do what we do!  
It's you (it's you) and it's me (and it's me)  
And who says that we have to agree?"_

Dez and Trish smiled hugely as Austin continued to lead Ally around the room, their hands clasped solidly with the other. Austin had said before filming that he had wanted to make it clear that he and Ally were different, but that it made them who they were – how this part of Team Austin could work despite their differences.

The ginger haired boy and Latina just thought it was an excuse so that their blonde friend could hold the songwriter's hand. Well, and to get her on-stage with him again. Because, really, the song alone could explain all those things Austin had argued about at the start.

Really, who was he trying to fool?

"_Cause I like  
What I like  
And sometimes we collide  
But it's me (but it's me) and it's you (and it's you)  
I know we're not the same, but we do what we do."_

At the end of the song, Dez recorded the way Austin and Ally smiled at each other before shutting off the live feed. It worked in his favor, considering their friends all crowded around the two and started congratulating them on such a great song.

Trish sidled up to him; their new-found friendship allowing such an action to be a new regular thing. "So, when do you think they'll realize they're in love?" she teased with a grin.

Dez rolled his eyes dramatically. "Geez, they should just get together already," he said, pouting that they weren't doing just that. "I don't see what the big deal is!"

The short Latina paused, then asked, "You already have a plan forming, don't you?"

"It's coming together," he slyly replied, a goofy smile on his freckled face.

In response, Trish laughed. "Oh, I can't wait to see how things unfold."

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**With Austin and Ally**_

Sitting on the counter, Austin slightly moved the coloring book in his lap as he continued finishing his 'masterpiece'.

From her position across from him, her own coloring book properly placed on a table, she commented, "I forgot how fun coloring was."

He glanced up to see her back, but knew there was a smile on her face. He grinned. "Uh _duh_," he easily replied, playfully rolling his eyes though he knew she couldn't see it.

Ally sent him a bright smile over her shoulder, but her attention was snagged when Trish and Dez walked in.

"Guess who got a job at _T-shirt World_?" the Latina sang out, her hands gripping the red sweater she wore. When she had Austin's and Ally's attention, she pulled it open, revealing a plain white shirt but with Dez's smiling head printed on the front.

Mentioned ginger stepped up, his own hands gripping his usual short-sleeved shirt. "Guess who got the best friend discount?" he sang out, popping open his shirt to reveal Trish's face printed on his front.

Ally and Austin exchanged a look before the former said, "I'm so happy you guys are such good friends." Then, her face fell into an odd expression. "And by 'happy', I mean _totally creeped out_."

"Why?" Trish laughed, not seeing the problem. "We have the same favorite horror movie; we have the same favorite number, and we have the same favorite pizza topping."

To prove their point, they turned to face each other and spoke at the same time, thinking they would synch up once more.

"Pepperoni/Mushrooms."

Well, so much for the 'synching up' part.

Austin watched as Trish and Dez practically exploded at each other about their favorite pizza topping, sliding off the counter to stand right behind Ally, who watched in fascination.

"I can't be friends with someone who likes _mushrooms_," Trish said, nose wrinkling in disgust.

Dez snapped back, "Well, I can't be friends with someone who likes _pepperoni_."

"So, wait," Ally cut in, finding this whole discussion worthy of watching till the end. "You guys are going to end your friendship on something like a difference between favorite _pizza toppings_?"

The ginger haired teen threw his hands up in exasperation. "It's not **just** a pizza topping," he explained, needing the importance of this moment to be understood. "First, she would rather have pepperoni. Next, she doesn't want to get it delivered because she doesn't think we get out enough!"

Glaring down at Trish, he continued like Austin and Ally weren't witnesses to their ending friendship. "But sometimes I'm tired and I just want to watch TV!"

Trish had remained surprisingly quiet during Dez's little speech, but now it was her turn to explode. So, as the two walked to the back exit, she demanded, "Why are you so tired? I'm the one who has at least two jobs a day!"

Austin watched the two storm out of the store, Ally watching the same thing from the protective barrier of his body and counter. He smiled down at her. "Well, everything is back to normal now," he cheerfully commented. "Let's see what you got."

Knowing what he was talking about, she grinned. "You're going to be so proud of me," she said. With a flick of her wrist, she showed him her colored clown. "I colored outside the lines."

Austin didn't see it. He even squinted to be sure. "Where? I don't see it."

Using her blue crayon, she pointed, "See? Right there."

He stared for a second before looking back at her. And grinned. Before she could protest, he grabbed her hand and started scribbling on her page. What made it better was that the booklet ended up on the counter for a more stable surface.

Laughing, he gleefully said, "Who's outside the lines, now?"

"No! Stop!" she said, but she was giggling too. Then, she gasped, "You broke my crayon!"

* * *

_**+++The End+++**_

_**Until next time!**_

_Thanks for reading! Please leave a review ;) it would be appreciated!_

**Spoiler**: the next chapter will show a new side to Ally, so please look forward to it! (:

**PS: follow me on Twitter at azn_m for update information or just random thoughts I would like to share (: follow me and I follow back!**

**~My profile also has the same information haha Thanks! Also, if you're a Victorious (Bade) fan, check out some of my stories! ;)**


	5. The Butterfly Song

"Doe Eyes & Puppy-Dog Pouts"

_The Butterfly Song_

**Disclaimer: check Chapter one- same thing**

_~Guest: Yes, yes I know this sounds a lot like a detailed episode of the original, but that's how I planned it out for now. Please be patient. PS: leave a review with a name I can address you by next time (:_

**Pairing**: Ally Dawson/Austin Moon

**Song(s) included**: "_The Butterfly Song_" by Austin Moon (Ross Lynch), performing for Ally Dawson

* * *

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**With Austin (and Ally)**_

"Austin, you know there's no food allowed in here," Ally lightly reprimanded, rolling her eyes at her blonde friend. However, she also knew he wouldn't stop, so she just figured she'd charge him when the place was infested with ants and roaches.

Austin smiled innocently. "Ah, come on, Ally. You're closing anyway. Please?" His chocolate eyes melted until they formed the proper puppy-dog pout he knew she couldn't resist.

She watched him for a second, wishing his adorableness didn't work so well on her. Sighing, she nodded. "Okay, fine. But don't make a mess. I just wiped down the counter."

Waving from his spot sitting on top of said counter, he watched her walk upstairs to finish straightening out their practice room. He would offer to help but knew he was more likely to get in her way, thus creating a bigger mess.

So, he just sat and ate his ice cream while he waited for Ally to finish so he could walk her home. It wouldn't do for a girl her age to walk home alone at this time of night, after all.

Humming softly, he went to lick his strawberry cone but froze when the sweet, cold treat fell onto his lap with a small _plop!_

Glancing down, he breathed a sigh of relief. At least it had landed on his pants and not on the counter. Ally would have slapped him upside the head.

_But, how to clean it up?_ he thought to himself, staring at the melting ice cream.

Suddenly, he grinned. "Pants sundae," he quietly cheered. Quietly scooting around, he dropped behind the counter on his feet and flung his shoes off as he made sure the ice cream stayed on his pants.

Unbuckling his belt, he slipped the jeans off and placed it reverently on the shiny counter and started dressing it with whipped cream, chocolate syrup and peanuts that he hid under the counter. All the while keeping an ear open for Ally's return.

Glancing once more over his shoulder, he added the cherry on top of his 'masterpiece' with a flourish he chuckled at.

Picking up the completed treat, he happily inhaled it in two quick slurps. Pulling away, he ignored the way his face was covered in whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

After all, it wasn't like anyone could see him, and Ally would be another few minutes –plenty of time to clean himself up and pull his pants back on.

Yeah, he had nothing to worry about…

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**The Next Day**_

"_Austin Moon Eats Pants Sundae_," Ally read mockingly, her tone dry as she showed Austin what she'd found on the web. "You shouldn't be eating stuff off your pants, let alone sundaes."

Austin crossed his arms defensively over his chest, giving his partner an offended look. "There's no sign that says that," he said.

"There shouldn't have to be a sign to not eat off your pants," she replied, staring at him pointedly.

Not able to form a comeback, he followed her over to the main counter. Ally set her laptop down, but Trish walking in caught their attention.

"Guess who got a job at _Pirate Frank's Fish Fry_?" the Latina sang out, showing off her pirate uniform. "Where every meal's a _par~ty_."

Removing her eye patch, she leaned close to Ally in despair. "This is the _worst_ job I've ever had," she claimed, "I smell like fish and guess who my new co-worker is?"

Austin knew Ally would get it right –the brunette was great at guessing games! But she was interrupted by Dez walking in, and Austin knew who Trish had been talking about. It amused him because Trish and Dez had been such close friends not too long ago, when they bonded over the same favorite horror movie.

"Arrgh, mateys!" the ginger haired teen greeted, holding up his hook-hand. "Guess who just got a job at _Pirate Frank's_, where every meal is a _par~ty_."

The three other friends were sure he would stop there, but he continued speaking pirate.

"I can't wait to _star~rt_. I'm saving up to buy a _car~r_."

But, of course, Trish couldn't stand Dez, so hooked him in the mouth with her hook-hand and dragged him behind the counter to join Austin and Ally.

Ally sent them a worried smile. "Guys, we have bigger problems," she stated.

"Yeah, this blogger –_Miami H8ter Girl_," Austin added, frowning.

Trish nodded in understanding. "Oh, her. Yeah, she writes about everything she hates. She's so angry and bitter –I love her!"

"Trish," Austin and Ally exclaimed, incredulous she would say something like that considering their situation.

"What?" she said back in defense, holding her hands up.

Ally said, "Well, she's been targeting Austin. She's writing everything she hates about him. And look at all of these embarrassing videos she's been posting."

Clicking a few buttons, she began reading off some instances, "Austin with broccoli in his teeth." The picture showed the cute blonde smiling with said vegetable blocking a tooth. "There's even one with Austin biting his toe nails." She had to chuckle at that one, and Austin shot her a dry glare to continue. "Anyway, she even caught him checking himself out in a mirror!"

Pressing _play_ on the offered video, Team Austin was treated to their blonde friend fixing his hair and flexing his arms in a mirror at one of the shops in the mall. His poses were funny, especially when he started making sexy faces at his reflection, like grinning and trying to act cool.

What Ally (and Austin) failed to notice was that the brunette was within his line of sight during the taping, but Dez and Trish noticed. To them, it looked as though Austin was trying to impress Ally without making his intentions obvious.

That, or he was just making sure he looked more than good when he went to go hang out with her. Like for a date.

"Well, that wasn't embarrassing… Until now," Austin commented, his cheeks heating as his friends tried to hide their amusement.

Trish reached over with her hook-hand, and a cheery _ding!_ sounded from the laptop.

He stared incredulously at her. "Trish, did you just click the _like_ button?"

She shrugged, grinning. "Hey, funny is funny," she said in defense, although she'd never say it was because she liked the unintentional _Auslly_ moment.

While Austin pouted, his friends just continued to snicker at his misfortune.

_**+++Miami Food Court:**_

_**With Austin and Ally**_

"I can't believe I have an anonymous blogger, who hates me, that's following me around," Austin commented in a semi-sulky tone, shoulders lightly slumped in dejection.

Ally had thought taking him out for something to drink would have improved his mood, but it didn't appear that way. Instead, she tried to soothe his frazzled nerves by talking about the website.

"I wouldn't worry, Austin," she said, looking towards her laptop to click the refresh button, "I mean, _H8ter Girl's_ blog only has less than fifty hits." Pushing the button again, she chuckled in a strained way. "Okay, only one-hundred and ten hits… One-thousand sixty… You know what? Let's worry."

Closing the screen with a _click_, she gave her blonde friend a concerned glance.

Austin sighed, his hands beginning to rub together in nerves. "We should try to figure out who _H8ter Girl_ is, for one thing," he commented, "This bad publicity is gonna ruin my performance at the mall this weekend."

Ally brightened with an idea. "She's been filming you do embarrassing things, right? Well, just don't do anything embarrassing!"

When he smiled in agreement, she almost burst out laughing at what she saw.

"You have broccoli in your teeth again," she pointed out, smirking behind a hand.

Frustrated and cheeks heating, he groaned and took the offending vegetable out. "I don't know why this keeps happening to me," he whined, "I don't even eat broccoli!"

Like she was going to admit to hiding healthy surprises in his food when she cooked. The boy could learn better eating habits, she's just saying!

Wanting him to focus on something else, Ally suggested, "How about you do good things? This way _H8ter Girl_ can't say anything bad about you."

"That's a great idea!" Austin exclaimed with a boyish smile. Turning around to survey the passing crowd, he spotted a familiar little boy. "Hey, Nelson! Come here for a sec."

Nelson climbed off the ledge of the fountain, and Austin stood to reach into his pocket for something.

"Would you like a shiny quarter to make a wish?" the blonde asked, smiling at his young friend.

Nelson grinned happily, reaching up to take the offered coin. "Thanks! I'm going to wish for a mustache," he cheered, eagerly walking back toward the fountain.

"Yup," Austin exclaimed loudly, to make sure he was clearly heard by everyone in the food court, "**Austin Moon** is a _good_ guy, who makes little kids' wishes come true!"

Elated by his good deed, he grabbed Ally's hand as he led her back to Sonic Boom. Ally didn't protest, mentally challenging the anonymous blogger to make a rude comment about Austin's show of kindness.

However, the duo stopped when they heard a _splash_, which could have only come from one person.

"Nelson!" Ally cried out in worry, fast-walking with Austin back to the fountain.

"It's okay, little buddy," the blonde said, "I got you."

Ally clasped her hands in front of her, doe-like eyes concerned for Nelson. "Are you okay, are you okay?" she worriedly asked.

Austin easily lifted Nelson out of the fountain, water dripping off the drenched little boy. He easily resembled a drowned rat, but with glasses and plaid clothing.

Taking a seat on the ledge, Austin watched in amusement as Nelson spit some water out. Yeah, he would have done the same; who knew what had been in that water?

"Nelson, you were supposed to let go of the quarter," he commented with a small smile.

The little boy looked a little disheartened. "So, no mustache?" he asked.

"Sorry, little buddy, but no."

"Aw, narts," he replied, swinging his arm in that _ah-shucks_ way he did. Handing the quarter back to his music idol, he walked away to somehow dry off.

Austin stood, his fingers tucking the coin back into his pocket. Ally, however, wasn't going to let this moment go. No, if there was ever a golden opportunity for her friend, she was going to seize it.

"Austin," she loudly declared, knowing she was catching even more attention, "You just saved Nelson! _Whoo-hoo_!" Clapping enthusiastically, she encouraged everyone else present to do the same.

The blonde Internet sensation grinned at her; that elated feeling coming back as she continued to clap and cheer for his 'heroic' rescue.

As the noise died down, she grabbed his hand unconsciously once more to start walking back to Sonic Boom. "I'd love for _H8ter Girl_ to make **that** look bad," she said.

"Yeah, thanks, Ally," he said, squeezing her hand softly. "There's no way she can ruin my career with that."

_**+++Practice Room:**_

_**With Team Austin**_

"_H8ter Girl_ is ruining your career!" Trish exclaimed, barging into the room with Dez right behind her.

Austin stood from his seat next to Ally on the piano bench, a frown on his normally smiley face. "Aw, what did she do _now_?" he asked, frustrated.

Ally, meanwhile, immediately began searching the blogger's website. "_Austin Moon Dunks Defenseless Boy in Fountain_," she read, dread coloring her tone. "Oh, she's good…"

"Ally!" the blonde exclaimed, incredulous she would say such a thing.

The brunette gave him a sheepish smile. "What I _meant_ was that she's _good_ at being **bad**, because, you know, she totally – and then she – and – I'll stop talking now." Not able to come up with the right words, she turned back to Trish for news. "You were saying?"

"_H8ter Girl_ is ruining Austin's career," the Latina reiterated, "After Dez deep fried my phone-" She sent said ginger haired teen a glare, "- the owner of the mall called and saw you dunking Nelson in the fountain, so he canceled your gig this weekend. Apparently, there's a _no-dunking-kids-in-fountains_ policy – So strict!"

Ally slowly stood from her seat, a worried expression painted across her features. "First of all, Dez, why would you _deep fry_ a cell phone?" she incredulously asked, staring at the boy in question.

"Ally, we don't have time for dumb questions," Austin protested, rolling his eyes. "Besides, I bet he didn't _just_ deep fry something lame like a cell phone, right?"

Dez grinned brightly. "Nope. I also deep fried a football, a hammer, and my purse!"

"That was **my** purse," Trish stated, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

"Ooh, yeah, that makes much more sense."

Austin smirked at Ally. "See?"

Ally shot him a small glare, but brought the focus of their conversation back on topic. "We have to do something about this _H8ter Girl_ – she can't keep spreading lies about Austin," she said, gearing up for what was to happen. "We should start –Dez, what are _doing_?"

Dez had taken a seat during her small speech, a fork in hand as he stabbed it into his deep fried shoe. "I'm going to eat my shoe. I deep fried it – _delicious_."

Just as he opened his mouth to take a bite, she quickly said, "There's no eating in the store, especially shoes."

"There's no sign that says-"

"There shouldn't have to be a sign to _not eat your shoes_."

_**+++Practice Room:**_

_**With Austin and Ally**_

Since Trish and Dez were still on their shift, they had to go back to _Pirate Frank's_. This left Austin and Ally alone for now, but with plans and ideas on how to capture the mysterious blogger stalking the blonde's every move.

Ally opened the door to their practice room, pausing when she saw the tent. "Austin, what are you doing?" she sweetly asked, smiling indulgently even though he couldn't see it.

"I'm going to live in here until we find out who _H8ter Girl_ is, then she won't be able to take any more embarrassing photos of me."

She closed the door, walking further in to hang her shoulder bag up on the coat rack. "You're being silly. Once she's exposed as the liar she is, things will go back to normal."

Austin finally unzipped the tent door, knowing Ally wouldn't let anything happen to him. "Well, until then," he said, able to now see the brunette, "I'll stay in here." Smiling, he began pointing out his 'supplies for survival'. "See? I have everything I need. Water, snacks, a bathroom-"

"- That's not a bathroom," Ally cut in, lightly biting her bottom lip. "That's a closet."

His expression dropped into an unreadable one. "Ooh, well, I wouldn't go in there for a while, then."

Ally wrinkled her nose. "_Ew_."

_**+++Miami Mall:**_

_**Team Austin Stakeout**_

Deciding on their number one plan, the four friends were staked out behind a hat cart. Wearing various different types, they slowly popped out to see that the coast was clear for their trap.

After a small _shushing_ argument, Dez finally made his way to the recycle bin to make the drop.

"Are we sure this plan will work?" Ally worriedly asked, absently biting on the tip of her thumb in nerves. Unknowingly, she moved closer to Austin since Dez was no longer in her path.

Austin, wearing a silly and colorful American flag themed hat, shifted Ally's blue cowboy hat to sit more firmly on her head. "It's fool-proof," he reassured, smiling. "Dez emailed _H8ter Girl_ and said he had embarrassing photos of me. She replied, saying to leave them in the recycle bin. If we wait here, she'll have to show up sometime, and that's when we catch her!"

Ally couldn't help but smile back; his grin contagious. "Right – she won't know we're here."

"_Hurry up and put it in!_" Trish shouted impatiently from Ally's other side, which caused the brunette to jump at the sudden sound.

Austin placed a soothing hand on Ally's arm, his gaze going back to Dez, who finally placed the envelope in the blue bin and fast-walked back to their hiding spot.

"The chicken is in the bucket," the ginger haired boy whispered so only the other three could hear.

Austin grinned at his best friend. "Is that code for you made the drop?" he eagerly questioned.

"No," Dez answered, grinning as he brought something out from under the hat cart. "It means I brought a bucket of chicken. I thought we would be out here for a while, and everyone knows the most important part of a stakeout is to _not fall asleep_."

"Great idea, Dez," Austin replied approvingly, grabbing a piece of chicken. "It's also important to stay alert."

_**+++Miami Mall:**_

_**Team Austin**_

Within a couple of hours, Team Austin had fallen asleep. Dez had found his resting spot in the hat cart, a piece of chicken hanging from his limp mouth. Trish had decided to lay her head on her plaid, golf-like hat, her quiet snores suggesting a deep sleep.

At the other end of the cart, however, Austin was sitting up with his back leaning on the wooden structure. His hat was long gone, but not far. Ally was using it as a cushion, although she didn't really need it when she was using the blonde's lap as her personal pillow. Not that he seemed to mind; one of his arms was laid lightly over her waist, holding her close to his warmth as she cuddled closer in the cool air.

While the four teens slumbered peacefully, the recycle bin seemed to have sprouted arms and legs to make its getaway.

However, it didn't count on the huge collision it experienced while it ran.

_Crash!_

Startled awake by the loud noise, Trish jumped to her feet while Ally and Austin got a little tangled as they tried to get up at the same time. Their effort only served to knock both to the ground once more, but thankfully they didn't have far to land.

Austin landed with a slight _thump_, Ally falling on him with a small gasp as the air was knocked from her lungs. They stayed like that for a second, the female half sprawled on her male counterpart.

"Sorry," the embarrassed brunette said, slowly lifting herself off.

Austin chuckled lightly, finding this entire experience humorous. "It's okay. No harm, no foul."

Smiling, she reached down to help him to his feet.

"Ah, man, the recycle bin is gone," the blonde exclaimed, groaning at missing their chance to bust _H8ter Girl_.

From his spot inside the cart, Dez asked, "Do you think _H8ter Girl_ took it?"

Trish glared at the boy, annoyed. "No, the bin just sprouted arms and legs and _ran away_," she sarcastically answered.

If the two chose not to mention the _Auslly_ moment they had bore witness to, well, that was their business. They would, however, be discussing it at length later.

Austin unconsciously turned to Ally, seeking answers. "Now what do we do? We missed our shot of catching _H8ter Girl_."

Ally laid a comforting hand on his arm, staring intently into his eyes. "We'll get her next time. The good news is she didn't get any embarrassing photos of you – All she got was an empty envelope."

_**+++Pirate Frank's:**_

_**With Team Austin**_

"_Old School Photo of Austin Moon_," Austin exclaimed in disbelief, his hands reaching up to self-consciously touch his blonde hair. Thankfully it wasn't messy like his bed-head from back then.

And people wondered **why** he needed to check his appearance whenever he could? That picture made him so insecure!

Ally glared at Dez, who shrank back in his seat. If Trish was scary when she was angry, the brunette was another story since she was considered the nice one between the girls. Her glares could freeze ice!

"Why did you give her actual pictures?" she slowly asked, tone darker than black (if that were possible, which Ally totally pulled off).

"Because, I promised!" Dez exclaimed in defense. "She may be an evil blogger out to destroy my best friend's career, but **I** am a man of my word!"

Austin sighed, knowing he couldn't blame Dez. His best friend had always been honest to a fault. "We have to come up with another plan. This is driving me nuts!" he stated, walking off to lean against a counter.

"You know what's driving me nuts?" Trish asked rhetorically, which caught her friends' attention. Using her hook-hand, she tried flipping a page in her magazine. "Turning pages with this hook!"

Ally glanced outside for some sort of inspiration, but stopped when she saw a giant, orange fish. "Well, at least you don't have to greet customers dressed as a catfish," she assured, smiling ruefully at her Latina friend.

Trish paused, a confused frown on her face. "What are you talking about?" she asked, looking to where Ally had mentioned said aquatic creature. "Wait a sec…" Cautiously, she got to her feet, eyes squinting to get a better look. "Pirate Frank doesn't have catfish, let alone serves it. I mean, we don't even sell _real_ fish!"

Austin moved to stand closer to his friends. Ally and Dez also slowly got to their feet, waiting to see what would happen next.

"That catfish has been watching us for, like, five minutes," the blonde pointed out, equally confused.

Ally gasped when the orange fish seemed to realize it had been discovered, so ran away. "That must be _H8ter Girl_!" she exclaimed in realization.

"I'll get her," Dez declared, grabbing up the fishing pole near the door. "Tell Pirate Frank I've gone fishing!" With that, he turned to leave but stopped when his pole got caught. After a couple more rounds of trying to fit the pole through the door, he ran after the catfish.

By mutual agreement, Austin, Ally and Trish quickly followed suit, wanting to see what their eccentric friend was going to do.

Dez stopped near the mall's fountain, his eyes searching for his prey. Seeing it, he called out, "Hey, catfish!" and cast his line, hoping to get it to snag on the possible blogger. He laughed when the catfish fell, wiggling on the ground like a fish out of water. "I got you now!"

Taking a seat in a conveniently placed chair, he used the added leverage to bring in his catch. It put up quite the struggle, but the ginger haired teen knew it would be no match for him.

It was this scene that the rest of Team Austin walked in on, and they cheered for Dez as the catfish was finally within their reach.

"Great job, Dez," Austin said with a large smile. With the help of his best friend, the blonde grabbed a hold of the blogger's arm and held them between him and Dez. "Now we get to see who _H8ter Girl_ is."

When the fish head came off, blonde hair spilled out and a round face appeared. The other girl would have been considered pretty, but the way her face was scrunched up made her a little crazy-looking. Or she was about to bite someone.

"Tilly Thompson," Ally asked in surprise, mouth slightly agape.

Austin, holding the fish head, stared at his songwriter incredulously. "You know her?"

"Yeah, we went to Kindergarten together," the brunette replied, then turned her attention back onto the blonde girl. "You're _H8ter Girl_?"

Tilly got to her feet, her eye twitching in a way that freaked Team Austin out. "You mean that amazingly talented blogger that posts stuff about how much I **hate** Austin?" she asked, her eyes zigzagging left and right. "Never heard of her."

When she made a move to leave, Ally, Dez and Trish stopped her. Tilly had no choice but to stay where she was, which she _hated_.

"You do realize that you just admitted to being _H8ter Girl_, right?" Trish sarcastically asked, placing her hands on her hips in annoyance.

Tilly seemed to also realize what she'd unintentionally admitted, so stomped her foot as she reprimanded herself out loud. "I hate it when I admit things! I hate it, I hate it, _I hate it_!"

Austin watched as she breathed heavily from her little rant before he decided to ask her a question that had been bugging him this entire time. "So, how did you manage to get all those embarrassing pictures of me?"

Tilly calmed instantly, which scared the four friends with how fast her emotions changed. "Oh, I've always been around," she casually answered, "You just never noticed me, because I'm a master of disguises."

Whipping her cell phone out, she began showing them her various costumes she'd perfected over the years.

"This is me as a biker… A cowboy… And, my favorite." She stopped on a picture of a mother walking with her stroller.

While the other pictures looked nothing like her, except maybe the cowboy, Dez couldn't help but point out, "That lady with the stroller looks _nothing_ like you."

Tilly stared at the ginger haired boy dryly, like he was stupid. "I'm the baby," she stated, then started to fake cry. Again, as fast as lightning, she glared at Austin, who flinched at her look. "Burp me!"

Austin chuckled nervously, hoping she was joking. With crazy people, you just couldn't be sure. "Look, Tilly," he said, straining to keep a smile on his face, "You seem like a nice – not mentally insane person…" He exchanged a quick glance with Ally for support as he continued talking. "But, why do you hate me?"

"Oh, I don't hate you," she easily answered, smiling like a normal person for once. "I actually think you're an amazing singer-"

Austin exchanged another look with Ally, who held up a thumbs-up sign of happiness.

"- I hate **her**!"

Ally's smile instantly dropped as she noticed that Tilly was now glaring at her. She lightly flinched back, but she'd dealt with worse. "What did I do?" she asked, confused.

"Don't act like you don't know!"

"I'm not acting… I really don't know what you're talking about," she dryly said, feeling as though she was talking to Dez or Austin. Luckily, she had a lot of experience in that department already.

Tilly didn't seem to like her response. Beginning to twitch again, she began a new rant, while her eyes zigzagged left and right. "You mean, you don't spend every second of every day, thinking about my song you ruined in Kindergarten?"

"No," Ally answered bluntly, "Someone who holds a grudge for every second of every day for ten years is insane." When Tilly glared at her with that unholy spark in her eye, the brunette crossed her arms under her breasts with her own glare. "I stand by what I said."

Not wanting a physical fight to break out, Austin cut into their tense conversation. "So, how exactly did Ally ruin your song?" he asked hastily.

Honestly, he'd never seen this side to Ally Dawson before – and he rather liked it. Normally Ally didn't like the spotlight, which meant she backed down most of the time. Where Tilly was concerned, however, a steel rod seemed to have taken the place of her spine.

Maybe he liked this feisty side to his songwriting partner a little too much, but no one could blame him. The expression, 'Kitten has claws' definitely applied to Ally. Not that he would say this out loud, but the way her eyes were sparking right now was really attractive, if he hadn't thought she already was before.

_Whoa, hold the pancakes!_ He thought, heart thumping wildly in his chest. _Where did __**that**__ thought come from?! Ally – attractive? I can't be thinking like that about her!_

Did it say something when he wasn't panicking as much as he thought he should be? It was like back when he thought she had a crush on him; he wasn't completely against the idea but he couldn't figure out **why**.

His thoughts spinning, he was glad when Tilly finally dragged her glare away from the brunette in question and began her tale.

"We were in Mrs. Carmichael's class, and Ally was being her usual, bossy little self…"

Trish cut into the story, grinning in remembrance. "I was in that class, too! I was the hall monitor."

Tilly continued with her story as if she hadn't been interrupted. "The Spring Pageant was coming up and the theme was insects. Being the talented girl I was and still am, I made _The Ladybug Song_ – It was a masterpiece!"

"It was _cute_," Ally mockingly stated, although Tilly didn't hear it. Austin sure did, however, and he stared at his petite friend, impressed with her show of backbone. "The lyrics were all over the place, though. I mean, ladybugs don't ride bikes."

"How would you know?" Tilly snapped, back to glaring at Ally, who returned the intense stare. "Are you some kind of ladybug expert?"

Ally grit her teeth but managed to calmly retort, "Not an expert – just that they _don't ride bikes_."

The blonde blogger rolled her eyes. "Whatever – that's not the point. The **point** was that you just had to write _The Butterfly Song_. Then, the class got to pick who wrote the best song."

"Which one did they pick?" Dez eagerly asked, clearly caught in the story. "Which one did they pick?"

"They picked Ally's."

"Aw, no! Oh man, I would be really mad if I were you," the ginger haired teen stated, truly not seeing how the story was going to play out despite the current situation.

Dez quickly stopped talking when Tilly gave him a glare.

But, that didn't stop Ally, who was smiling at the semi-forgotten memory. "That was special day for me. Writing that song made me realize that I wanted to be a songwriter."

"That was a special day for me, too," Trish brightly said, "That was the first time I was ever fired from a job!"

Ally frowned. "How did you get fired?"

"Apparently you can't charge kids for using the bathroom."

Tilly cut back into the conversation, glaring and practically hissing at the brunette. "It wasn't a special day for me. You ruined my dreams!"

"Well, I think you should get over it," Ally retorted, a glare starting to make its presence known again. "We were kids, you know, in Kindergarten. _Kinder_ is German for kids." Why couldn't Tilly just let this go and leave Austin's career alone? It wasn't like her grudge was against him!

"And _garten_ means meatloaf," Dez stated, smiling at how smart he was being. "So, it adds up to 'meatloaf made of kids'!"

"I don't get it," Austin said, finally speaking after Tilly's story. When Dez started to explain how to make 'meatloaf made of kids', he cut him off with a wrinkled nose of disgust. "Not that. Why are you taking it out on me when you're mad at Ally?"

Maybe not the brightest question to ask, but this mystery was starting to bug him. Besides, he was a little distracted by how adorable Ally was when she was angry. Seriously, it was like watching a kitten get ready for war!

"That's easy," Tilly answered with a casual air, "I figured that by ruining _your_ career, I ruin _hers_ as well! It's the perfect way to get my revenge."

While she was off in La La Land imaging that outcome, Dez spoke up and asked, "Wouldn't it be easier if you just got revenge on Ally directly?" His _duh_-tone was implied but easily heard.

"Dez!" Austin protested from his side, staring incredulously at his best friend.

Tilly liked the idea, however. "That's a great idea," she brightly said, smiling widely.

Ally, however, grit her teeth as she waited to see what the other girl would do. Her arms were once again crossed under her breasts, her gaze clearly challenging.

"Dez!" Trish hissed in reprimand in place of her brunette best friend.

Defensively, Dez threw his hands up. "I'm just saying! Tilly shouldn't place Austin in the middle. It's not like I told her how to destroy Ally – like by admitting she doesn't like the spotlight!"

"_Dez!_" Austin and Trish hissed, barely able to understand why he would say that last part out loud. Did the dummy really think that would help?

"That's brilliant!" Tilly chimed in, grinning happily. "In fact, that's exactly what we're gonna do. We're gonna have a show, right here, at the mall!" Laughing, she continued speaking in a smug voice, "And, when you get up on stage to sing your butterfly song, you'll look stupid because you don't want to be in the spotlight. It'll reverse everything that happened in Kindergarten."

"And if I don't sing _The Butterfly Song_?" Ally questioned in a challenging voice, her stance firm.

Staring her straight in the eye, the blonde casually answered, "If you don't perform, I'll post more bad stuff about Austin until he never gets another gig again."

Trish and Dez bit their lips, anxiously waiting to see what Ally would say. Austin, on the other hand, frowned deeply at Tilly's words. He was truly concerned about this turn of events –but it wasn't his career he was thinking about.

No, he was worried about what this would do to Ally. He may not know why she'd left show business, but it had to have been important. By this little stunt with the _Miami H8ter Girl_ blog, he knew she wasn't one to give in so easily, not without a fight. Her backbone could be made out of steel when the situation called for it, but…

What could have happened one year ago when she'd decided to leave the spotlight for good?

If Austin knew one thing, he knew this: He needed to do whatever it took to support Ally in whatever decision she made. She was important to him; what more could he say?

He watched as Ally opened her mouth to respond. It felt like minutes had passed while he'd been lost in thought, but it must have only been a matter of seconds, if even that long.

"Fine," was all she said.

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**Practice Room – With Austin and Ally**_

"Are you sure about this, Ally?" Austin asked, microphone gripped in his hand as he stared at the brunette seated with her guitar ready.

Ally tuned it absently without looking up at her blonde companion. "Yeah, I'm sure," she replied without much inflection in her voice. It worried Austin but he was confident in her ability to perform and just Ally, herself.

"Alright." Taking a deep breath, in an announcer's voice, he said, "Ladies and gentlemen! Introducing – Ally Dawson!"

Turning to face her audience, she began to sing:

"_I'm a little butterfly_ – I can't do this."

Ally stood, guitar in hand, as she anxiously paced the room. Almost violently, she jammed the tip of her thumb in her mouth to gnaw on it with her nervous energy. However, what really scared Austin was the dull look he could see taking over her normally sparkling chocolate eyes. This wasn't the girl he'd met while banging corndogs against the drums.

Austin gently grabbed her arm, stopping her pacing, and brought her thumb out from between her lips before she managed to lose a digit. "What's wrong?" he quietly asked.

"They're staring," she simply answered, glancing over to look at her audience.

He chuckled lightly, raising a brow. "They're stuffed animals – they kind of have no choice."

"Well, that one laughed at me," she lied, knowing she was running out of excuses. Knowing Austin the way she did, he would ask her what the real problem was, but she wasn't ready to reveal that part of her past to him yet. Someday soon, but not right now.

Austin grabbed the 'offender' and held the green lizard out mockingly. "That's because this is Larry the Laughing Lizard. It's his job to laugh." Throwing the toy carelessly over his shoulder, he asked the dreaded question, "How come you don't want to perform anymore? In Kindergarten you were okay, then you became Ally-D when you were seven. What happened a year ago when you left?"

He wasn't trying to be cruel – He just wanted to understand. Ally was someone important in his life; his songwriting partner and best friend. If something were bothering her, he wanted to know so that he could come up with a way to fix it.

Ally almost crumbled at the compassionate look in his eyes, but held firm. "I don't want to talk about it right now," she carefully said, not wanting to hurt his well-intentioned feelings. He really was a nice guy. "But, I promise, the moment I do, I'll go straight to you."

He let it go, especially when she turned that sweet smile on him and the way her eyes were beginning to sparkle once more. Besides, it was enough for now. She made a promise and Ally Dawson always kept her promises, no matter what.

"Deal," he said, grinning back, "But, in the meantime, we'll work on you performing live in front of these cute guys, with their soft fur and little beady eyes and – Can I keep this one?" Holding up the dolphin that distracted his small speech, he gave her his infamous puppy-dog pout.

The mood shifting to a lighter, more fun, one, Ally said, "It's sweet that you care so much, Austin, but – Give me back Dougie the Dolphin!" Like she was really going to let those eyes talk her into giving him her dolphin? He can have Larry the Laughing Lizard!

Genuinely pouting now, the blonde almost-pop star watched as she placed the prized stuffed animal onto her abandoned stool. Oh, he would get Dougie… Ally wouldn't be able to resist him for long!

"You know you don't have to go up there, right?" he asked instead, bringing their conversation back to the matter at hand.

Ally gave him a look that clearly stated the thought of not performing hadn't once crossed her mind. "Of course I do," she said matter-of-factly, "If I don't, you heard her – She'll ruin your career. I would rather step back into the spotlight than see that happen."

Something inside Austin's chest warmed in a way he wasn't familiar with – and yes, he would admit it wasn't just deep friendship. The fact that Ally would sacrifice so much for him spoke volumes, and did something funny to his heart; something that he treasured and wanted to feel for the rest of his life.

"Thanks, Ally," he sincerely said, "It means a lot that you would do this for my sake." Gesturing grandly to the window, he added, "You'll sing even more beautiful than the sunset." She would, too, he was that confident, and _hello_, this was Ally-D.

And, in the meantime, he would just reach over to Dougie and…

"Don't. Touch. My. Dolphin."

He froze, hands just about to grasp the stuffed toy. Sighing dramatically, he asked, "Is Dougie going to turn into a _thing_? You know, like your songbook?"

Ally laughed and snatched the dolphin from the stool. "Don't touch either and you'll be fine," she sang out playfully, semi-waltzing out of the room.

Laughing, he chased after the petite brunette to steal Dougie from her.

_**+++Pirate Frank's:**_

_**With Trish and Dez**_

Stuck at work, the reluctant co-workers had no choice but to pass the time with small talk, seeing as how the restaurant was empty.

"Man, I can't believe Tilly is forcing Ally to perform," Trish commented, huffing. "And I'm not gonna be there to see it!"

Dez, who wasn't frying anything surprisingly, said, "You're such a nice friend – wanting to support your friend like that."

"Yeah, totally," she said, obviously lying. No, what she really wanted to see was Ally wiping the floor with Tilly, but also seeing her best friend freak out on stage wouldn't be bad either. Funny was funny, after all. "Anyway, did you see Austin and Ally that night we had the stakeout? They're definitely gonna date!"

Squealing almost like a girl, the ginger haired boy nodded excitedly. "Yeah, those two are perfect for each other," he agreed, grinning.

Trish leaned against the counter, asking curiously, "So, did you put your plan into action yet?"

He knew she was referring to the time when they had bonded over their favorite _Zaliens_ movies and made plans for getting their two best friends together. "Nope, not yet. That's still a work-in-progress," he brightly answered.

"What is taking so long?" she groaned out, rolling her eyes.

Dez gasped in outrage, "Hey! You can't rush perfection!"

The Latina rolled her eyes again, but didn't see the point in arguing. "Anyway, I want to see if Ally or Tilly will have a meltdown and yak on someone in the front row," she laughed.

"We could ask for the night off," he suggested, shrugging.

She scoffed, "That's not how I do things. We need to get _fired_."

"Well then, there's something I've been _dying_ to do…"

_**+++Miami Mall:**_

_**Ally's Performance**_

Austin and Ally raised their brows when they caught sight of Dez and Trish in their normal clothes. "What are you guys doing here?" the latter asked curiously. "I thought you guys had to work." Not that she was surprised to see Trish, but Dez had stated how he was saving up for a car.

"Oh, we deep fried everything, so got fired," Dez answered casually, like he was talking about the weather.

"You did what, now?" Ally asked in disbelief.

Austin gasped out in awe, "Cool!"

Before more could be discussed, Tilly chose that time to start their little show.

"Hey, everyone, thanks for coming out," the blonde blogger greeted, "Tonight, you'll be hearing two songs – one really great one and another really terrible one. I won't say which is which, but first up is Ally Dawson with the terrible song!"

While the audience clapped unsurely about the announcement, Nelson with his mustache, stood out the most to Ally as she stared at them. Her little student was a weird boy…

Trish handed Ally her red guitar. "Here, I have total faith in you," she said, smiling but walked closer to stand near the audience. "Can we have the front row scoot back, please? You might get yakked on."

Chairs screeched back quickly, but it got the desired effect Trish had been looking for. She may want Ally or Tilly to have a meltdown, but she was considerate when times called for it.

Austin laid a comforting hand on Ally's arm, squeezing gently when she smiled at his gesture. "Good luck," he said, though he knew she didn't need it. Like he always said, Ally was awesome.

"Thanks, Austin," she said back confidently. "But, I don't need luck when you're right here beside me." With a charming wink, she walked past him to get on the stage.

From his spot, the stunned blonde only blinked until he realized the brunette was sitting on the offered stool and began strumming her guitar. After everything they've been through since becoming partners, this felt like a turning point he couldn't put an exact name to. Something about that last wink… Something about this entire experience… It got his heart galloping in his chest.

Before he realized what he was doing, he charged up onto the stage.

"This is-" Ally began, but abruptly stopped when Austin made his presence known.

"-Austin Moon, and I'm here to sing a song for you!"

While the audience clapped for the blonde Internet sensation, Ally slowly stood, placing her guitar down, and looked at her friend in confusion. "Austin, what are you doing?"

He smiled tenderly. "I'd rather have my career ruined by Tilly than watch you do this. You stepped out of the spotlight for a reason, and I'm not gonna let you step back in like this." No, he was going to wait for the day when she stepped back into the spotlight right beside him, under her own terms.

Ally smiled, heart thumping wildly in her chest at the extremely sweet words he'd spoken. "Really?" was all she managed to get out.

"Yeah, of course."

She threw her arms around his neck, hugging him close. "This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me," she softly admitted, for his ears only.

Austin wrapped his arms around her slim waist. "I know – I'm a nice guy," he whispered back fondly.

"_Aw_," the audience cooed as one as they watched the moment between the duo. From the sidelines, Trish shot Dez the okay-sign to make sure he caught the entire thing on his camera. The ginger haired, future-director shot her the thumbs-up signal to show he did.

When the two pulled back, grinning in embarrassment at each other, Tilly charged onto the stage with a scowl on her face directed at Ally. "This wasn't part of the deal," she loudly protested, unknowingly speaking into the microphone. "If you don't sing your terrible song, then I'm going to keep posting fake stuff about Austin on my _Miami H8ter Girl_ website!"

"Did you guys get all of that?" Ally asked in the microphone, a smug smile pulling her lips up. "This is _H8ter Girl_ and she's been posting fake stuff about Austin!"

"_Boo!_" the audience loudly said, continuing their rant as Tilly started shouting crazily where she stood.

"I hate it when I admit things! I hate it, I hate it, _I hate it_!"

It was Trish's turn to go up on stage, annoyed. Grabbing Tilly's wrist, she said, "Yeah, we get it – You hate things. Now, come on, you whack-a-doodle." With that, she dragged the blonde girl off the stage so that Austin and Ally could get back to their moment.

Austin took the microphone from its stand. "Now, I'm going to sing the best song written by a five-year-old," he announced, grinning.

"_The Ladybug Song_?" Tilly eagerly asked from the sidelines, her wrist still captured within Trish's grasp.

"_The Butterfly Song_," he replied in a _duh_-tone. As Tilly walked off again, crying, he continued speaking. "This song is special to my partner, Ally, because it made her realize that she wanted to be a songwriter in the first place." He smiled tenderly as he added, "And, that makes it special to me, too."

The audience cooed again over his sweet words, and Ally handed him her red guitar. "Here, you're going to need this. Good luck," she said, smiling at how she was able to give his words back to him.

Austin paused in taking the beautiful instrument, microphone still in hand. "I don't need luck with you beside me," he said back, also using her own words, with a grin. "Play the guitar for me?"

"It's the least I can do," she replied happily, retaking her seat on the stool.

As she strummed the melody, Dez discreetly brought Austin a second stool to sit on. With silent thanks, the blonde placed the chair next to Ally as he brought the microphone up to his mouth to sing.

**The Butterfly Song:**

"_I'm a little butterfly  
Spread my colorful wings  
Even though I'm small and frail  
I can do most anything"_

Austin cast a smile at Ally, who continued to play the guitar with a soft smile. He especially liked when he saw the way her chocolate eyes sparkled with that hint of life it had been missing since accepting the challenge Tilly gave.

Yeah, losing his career would have definitely been worth doing this for Ally. She was something special, alright.

"_Caterpillar in my cocoon_

_I'm going to be a butterfly soon"_

Ally caught the smile Austin was giving her, and returned it with a full-watt one of her own. There was just something about performing with the blonde singer – He made things seem… Brighter, somehow.

She couldn't explain it, but this wasn't the first time she'd felt this way either. She always felt this particular emotion welling in her chest whenever she played for him or when he would grab her hand and dance with her as he did a performance.

What did that mean? She wondered.

"_I'm a little butterfly  
I can soar through the sky  
So glad I ended up like this  
Thanks to metamorphosis"_

His heart was beating so rapidly in his chest when she smiled at him like that, he had to wonder how it remained in his chest. Why? Why did she have to do that while he was performing? At this rate, he would end up messing up and embarrassing himself…

Yet, that thought didn't bother him in the least. This was Ally, after all; the girl who would sacrifice herself before letting his career get run to the ground – the girl he would give up his music career for.

Austin paused as a sudden thought came to him. All these feelings adding up… His emotions going haywire when Ally was around… Could he-? Could he have more feelings for the songwriter than he first thought?

"_I'm a butterfly_

_I'm a butterfly Yeah_

_I'm a butterfly"_

_No,_ he thought, mentally shaking his head. _No, I'm over thinking things. Yes, Ally is cute, talented, has the same love for music as I do, has an amazing smile and… What was my point again?_

_No! Bad Austin_, his conscience reprimanded, _Ally is your __**friend**__. You can't have feelings for her. You just __**can't**__._

Austin took in a deep breath as he finally paid attention to roaring applause he and Ally were receiving. The duo stood and exchanged a hug that had his heart galloping in his chest again. He ignored it, however. There was a time and place to evaluate one's feelings, and this wasn't it.

Yeah, this wasn't it.

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**With Team Austin**_

After getting some rest the night before, Austin was no closer to figuring out what his real feelings for Ally were. He did admit, however, that he had deeper feelings than he first thought, especially since that time he tanned himself orange to save their friendship.

For now, though, he decided he would just take it one day at a time, like he'd always done. He didn't want to ruin what they had, and he wanted to be sure his feelings grew and, if they did, that Ally would reciprocate if he ever chose to express them.

Austin was brought out of his musings and watching _H8ter Girl_ have her meltdown when he felt a gentle tap on his back. Turning, he saw Ally with Dougie in her arms. Oh yeah, he still had to steal him from her…

"I just wanted to thank you again for what you did last night," Ally said, catching his attention. Smiling, she gave him Dougie. "It was really sweet of you, so I want you to have him."

He couldn't stop the way his face broke out into a wide grin. "Dougie!" he exclaimed happily, taking the dolphin to cuddle him close.

Trish's voice ruined his little moment. "You like stuffed animals?" she incredulously asked, brow raised.

"Psh, no," Austin scoffed, quickly handing the toy back to Ally. In a lowered voice, he added, "I'll pick him up later."

Ally giggled but complied by grabbing Dougie back. "By the way, what are you guys watching?" she asked, glancing at the laptop screen curiously.

Unconsciously, the blonde singer leaned over her shoulder to watch the rest of the video he, Trish, and Dez had been entertaining themselves with.

Dez casually answered, "_H8ter Girl's_ meltdown." Of course, he'd recorded the whole thing but the crazy blonde didn't need to know that. That chick was insane – and not in a good way.

Ally watched in amusement when Tilly continued to scream shrilly and knock things down in her rampage on the stage. As far as the brunette was concerned, Tilly deserved to have such a breakdown. Yes, it was mean and not something she normally approved of, but Tilly had chosen the wrong target when she decided to get revenge on Ally through Austin.

There was no way someone was going to ruin her friend's career while she was able to say something. Ally Dawson would never allow it, like how Austin was willing to give up his career for her. They were part of a team and teams stuck together.

"Tilly was so embarrassed by this video, she shut down her blogger website," Trish commented happily, chuckling as she continued to watch Tilly go berserk.

"I guess we won't have to worry about her anymore," Austin commented, relieved.

"Yeah, that's so true," Dez said, nodding in agreement. "I'm going home now. I have to go feed my pet iguana. I have to find him first, though."

When he walked out with incredulous glances from the remaining three friends, Trish was the first to snap out of it. Closing Ally's laptop, the Latina followed Dez's example by excusing herself. "Later! I have to go get fired from my job."

Once alone, Austin reached to take Dougie from Ally with a happy expression on his boyishly charming face. Now that Trish and Dez weren't around to witness his love for all things soft and cuddly, he had nothing to hide.

However, he pouted when Ally drew the dolphin back, a smirk on her pretty features. "Oh, I'm sorry," she innocently said, "Were you reaching for this?" She waved Dougie teasingly.

Austin narrowed his eyes playfully, fully intending to win this little game. "You may have gotten lucky last time, Dawson, but I will steal Dougie the Dolphin!" he valiantly declared.

"We'll see about that, Moon," the brunette giggled out, starting to back away while biting her lower lip to keep from laughing.

With a lunge, the game of steal-the-dolphin was on. All throughout the store, the sounds of boyish shouts and girlish giggles could be heard, but Lester Dawson didn't stop the two teens from playing.

No, he rather liked seeing his daughter so happy and carefree. He had one Austin Moon to thank for that, too.

* * *

_**+++The End+++**_

_**Until next time!**_

**~Please read and review! It would be much appreciated!~**


	6. Double Take REMIX

"Doe Eyes & Puppy-Dog Pouts"

_Double Take (remix)_

**Disclaimer: check Chapter one- same thing**

**Pairing**: Ally Dawson/Austin Moon

**Song(s) included**: "_Trash Talka ft. Double Take_" aka "_Double Take remix_" by Shiny Money (James Earl) and Austin Moon (Ross Lynch)

**Note**: This was supposed to be a semi-filler chapter but turned out more romantic ;) Enjoy!

_~Special thanks to everyone who reviewed and were patiently waiting for this chapter (: you are guys are awesome!_

* * *

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**With Ally (and Nelson)**_

The brunette cringed as Nelson played the piano. She didn't have the heart to stop him and, besides, she still couldn't get Austin's sweet gesture of singing for her, when they were still dealing with Tilly, out of her mind.

Austin Moon really is a nice guy…

"How was that, Ally?" Nelson's voice inquired innocently, snapping her into the present.

Ally strained to smile at the little boy seated next to her. "That was good, Nelson. You managed to get all of the notes… Just not in the right order… or the right key," she answered sheepishly.

Just as Nelson was about to do his signature 'Ah, narts', Austin and Dez fast-walked into the store through the back entrance.

"Nelson, Ally, get up. We need to use the piano," Austin exclaimed with a large smile. While Nelson easily scrambled off, the blonde assisted Ally up and over the bench by grabbing her hand.

"Put your hands up and step away from the Baby Grand," Dez added, grinning goofily as he dug around in his backpack for something.

Ally backed up a few more steps, but Austin still held her hand. He brought her with him to the sidelines, only releasing his hold when he reached to lift the long gong stick that had the white plush padding at the top.

Dez brought out a small watermelon, and the brunette bit her lip in consternation. "Dez, you know there's no eating in the store," she reprimanded, though knowing it was useless.

Instead of answering, Austin lightly swung the stick before pitching. His aim held true and he knocked the piano's top down. Watermelon exploded outward, and Ally stared in fascinated horror as Nelson got the worst of the explosion. As it stood, she only got lightly sprayed with sticky juice on the front of her dress and face.

"Oops," Austin chuckled, reaching into his back pocket to pull out a green handkerchief. Like a gentleman, he began to dab at her cheeks. "Looks like I still got some on you. Sorry."

Cheeks flushing in embarrassment, she didn't say anything but pouted.

"That was awesome," he brightly added, still dabbing at her cheeks. "It was even better than smashing peanuts in my laptop." To prove his words, Dez pulled out said laptop and showed off what looked to be peanut butter smothered everywhere inside. Ally wrinkled her nose.

Turning to Nelson, she had to smile at the watermelon helmet he now sported. "Well, I think that's enough for today, Nelson. You can go and… wash up."

Her cheeks heated again as Austin brought her face back towards him to start wiping the other side of her face. Feeling extremely embarrassed, she lightly pulled away and took the handkerchief from him with a grateful smile. She was so busy staring into his chocolate eyes that she nearly missed Nelson's excited, "I'm Melon Man!" as he exited through the back door.

But, she did. Unfortunately.

Taking several steps back, Ally's attention was (thankfully, to her way of thinking) caught when Trish walked through the front of the store with a giant megaphone at her side.

"Guess who got a job at _Megaphone World_?" she sang out through said megaphone, grinning at her friends.

Of course, Dez chose not to say anything about the _Auslly_ moment he'd witnessed, so he excitedly asked, instead, "Who?!"

Trish ignored the freckled boy, continuing, "More importantly, guess who got an exciting piece of news? **Mr. Austin Moon!**" Taking out the letter, she handed it to the giddy blonde singer.

Just as excited, Ally asked, "What's it say? What's it say?"

"It says I've been selected to take a part in… a study on male pattern baldness?" he read, trailing off at the end with a confused look on his face. Last time he checked, he wasn't going bald… Was Trish trying to tell him something?

Dez exclaimed, "Oh, cool! You never told me you were bald –Awesome toupee, man!" When the ginger haired teen reached to pull off Austin's 'toupee', Ally stopped him hastily with a hand on his wrist as Austin leaned away with a panicked expression.

"Dez," the petite brunette scolded, "Don't touch his hair – it's real!" As if to add emphasis, she gently petted Austin's head of blonde hair until his panicked face relaxed into a blissful one.

Although she was loathe to break up the totally cute _Auslly_ moment, Trish had big news that would help with Austin's music career. "Sorry, that was the wrong letter," she apologized, getting the two's attention.

Ally dropped her hand as Austin was handed the, hopefully, right letter and more-cautiously opened it.

By his brightening expression, she knew it was good news, like Trish had said.

"Whoa! I've been invited to the _Miami Music Awards_… and Shiny Money wants me to perform with him!"

"Yeah," Trish smugly answered, "I convinced him to listen to your sample of _Double Take_ and he wanted to use it in his new rap."

Impressed with her best friend, Ally commented, "Wow, look at you! You should be voted 'Manager of the Year'."

Trish chuckled. "It was pretty easy. I just stood outside his house doing _this_ until he agreed to listen to your guys' song." _This_ turned out to be a special feature on her giant megaphone – the sound of a car alarm going off. Or police sirens; whatever got her quicker results.

Dez flinched, hand reaching up to clamp over his ear. "Man, I hate that sound!"

"Oh, in that case…" Starting to blast the noise as close as possible to him, Trish started laughing as Dez kept twitching and trying to cover his ears.

Ignoring their antics, Ally walked over to Austin with a large smile on her face. "I can't believe my song is going to be used for an awards show," she giddily stated, barely able to contain her happiness.

During her reign as Ally-D, she'd been offered numerous chances for the same honor, but she hadn't been interested at the time. She'd been an Internet sensation with millions of fans who adored her – What more could a girl her age (back then) ask for?

Now, however, she had Austin in her life and he always made things seem exciting, like a new adventure waiting to happen. And she wanted to jump in right alongside him.

_Whoa, where did that thought come from?_ Ally frantically back-pedaled away from the 'danger-zone', as she will start calling it. _Watermelon juice must have seeped into my brain if I'm thinking about show business like that! I don't want the spotlight, but I am happy Austin's career is taking off. That's all!_

Dez's voice (thankfully, to her way of thinking again) cut in, "I can't believe Austin will be singing with Shiny Money – He's my favorite rapper!" Reaching into his back pocket, he produced his wallet. "Do you think he'll sign this picture I have of him?"

Trish, Ally, and Austin watched in amusement as their friend began pulling out a slip of paper, no doubt the picture of Shiny Money. However, their gazes widened as he kept unfolding it… and unfolding it… and unfolding it until a poster was revealed.

While Austin and Ally continued to stare, Trish snapped out of her incredulousness and smiled. "Who cares about posters? I can't wait to break out my red carpet walk." The Latina then 'broke out' her walk, which enlisted exaggerated leg movements and an over-all flashy appeal.

It made Ally laugh, but Austin had to comment, "You call _that_ a red carpet walk? Try this!" The blonde performer than proceeded to swagger down the same short path Trish took in front of their friends, making sure to flip his hair just-so and throwing in a couple of dance moves.

Again, Ally laughed but paused when Dez went up next. "Step aside, rookies," the taller boy said confidently, "Let me show you how it's done, _Dezmond_-style."

With that, he began strutting down the 'red carpet' with a less than smooth swagger and wild hand gestures, sound effects included. Trish laughed while Austin and Ally chuckled.

"I think _Dezmond_ should come in through the back entrance," Trish commented, then thought better of it. "On second thought, let people see you walking like that."

Austin grinned at Ally, pulling lightly on her wrist. "What about you? Show us your red carpet walk."

Ally smiled but shook her head. "Nah, that's okay. I don't think I'm going to the awards show with you guys," she replied.

"Why not?" he whined, sounding like a child. His bottom lip poked out in his signature puppy-dog pout she still had trouble refusing. How did a boy his age pull off such an adorable look?

Reluctantly, she tore her gaze away from him to stare at anything over his shoulder. "I've been to so many award shows, I'm all award-show-out," she answered, shrugging. Hey, keeping her eyes focused on something behind him was working! Score one for Ally Dawson!

"But, the four of us will have so much fun," he protested. To prove his point, he read more of the letter. "I mean, look – an exclusive after-party, a complimentary gift bag, and – an extra ticket for one guest!"

During his listing, Trish and Dez were getting more and more excited – Until that last part.

"_What?_" the two asked, faces scrunching like they'd heard wrong. At least, they hoped they did.

Ally bit her lip, knowing this couldn't end well for Team Austin, but what could she do? Austin had read it himself – He can only take _one of them_ with his extra ticket.

Dez commented, "You know, I've never been good at math but one ticket times three friends equals…" As he tried to figure it out in his head, Trish rolled her eyes in exasperation and annoyance.

"It means only one of us gets to go with Austin," she flatly stated.

"But I got forty-three."

As Austin and Ally stared oddly at Dez, the two exchanged a glance. "Ally?" the former questioned.

The petite brunette shook her head, knowing what he was asking. "You only have one ticket, Austin. It should go to either Trish or Dez – they're the ones who want to go," she said, smiling reassuringly. "Don't worry about me. I'll be just as happy to see your performance from a TV screen. Okay?"

Although Austin tried, he couldn't bring himself to give her a genuine smile. The moment he'd read there was only one ticket for a guest he'd immediately wanted to take Ally. They were partners, after all. Shouldn't partners share the spotlight?

Sighing, he nodded in understanding. Now, the hard question remained: Who to take, Trish or Dez?

_**+++Miami Food Court:**_

_**With Austin and Trish**_

Sitting at a table, the blonde Internet sensation stared in awe at the tray of food Trish had provided. "Whoa, this is amazing," he breathed excitedly, "I didn't know they made frosted French fries. Thanks for lunch, Trish!"

"No problem," the Latina grinned. From behind her back, she produced a pastry bag and began squirting more chocolate frosting over his French fries. "And they don't, but **I** do."

Becoming a little suspicious, he asked, "This wouldn't have anything to do with that extra ticket, right?" If he had learned anything about Trish during their friendship, she only worked when it suited her. He wasn't saying anything bad about that – He actually kind of admired how straight-forward she was about it.

Trish scoffed, hands resting uncomfortably on her hips. "Wh~at?" she dragged out in a high-pitched voice, "You're being ridiculous! I just want you to think carefully about your decision. I mean, you only have _one_ ticket for _one_ guest. It's not about me!"

Austin chuckled, starting to feel relieved. "Thanks, Trish-"

"- Enough thinking. You're taking me," she interrupted with a sweet smile.

"But it's not that easy!" he protested, slight panic coloring his voice. "You know I'm bad at making decisions. I mean, this morning, I couldn't even decide which shoes to wear!"

"What?" she incredulously asked. Didn't he normally call Ally for help?

"Ally wouldn't answer her phone," he said, like he'd read her mind. Bringing his feet out from underneath the table, he showed his Latina friend that he wore two different colored sneakers; a red and a green one. "See?"

"Well, I'm your manager," Trish argued back, shaking her head over Austin's indecisiveness. How Ally dealt with it, she would never understand, but this just proved the two needed to get together. "Without me, you wouldn't **be** going to the _Miami Music Awards_ to perform with Shiny Money."

Austin had to concede to her point with a small nod. "You're right," he agreed, "I'll take you as my guest. I'll just have to break the news to Dez somehow."

That, and he needed to speak to Ally about his shoe choice. As much as he loved Christmas, he didn't want his feet to remind him of the holiday yet. It was too early in the year for that.

"Great!" Trish squealed, "I just need to get a job at _Dress Hut_ for something new to wear."

"What about _Megaphone World_?"

"Oh, right." Shrugging, she picked up her giant megaphone to announce from their spot in the food court, "_Attention Megaphone World – I quit!_"

In response, her (ex) manager announced back, "_Trish, you were fired yesterday! Return the giant megaphone!_"

Picking up a frosted French fry, Austin watched as Trish sheepishly smiled and left.

Another hard question: How was he going to tell Dez his decision?

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**With Dez (and Austin)**_

When Austin walked through the door to the practice room, he didn't pause when he heard Dez clapping loudly. His thoughts were too jazzed up and he still didn't know what to say to his best friend. This would be a good time to be Ally; she always had the right thing to say.

"Dez, I gotta talk to you about something," the blonde began, but stopped when he finally noticed what said teen was doing. "What are you doing?"

Dez grinned from his seat, "Practicing my award show reactions. You never know when you're going to be on camera, right?"

"Awesome," Austin commented, his worries flying out the window. Getting into the game, he took a seat next to Dez.

The two boys proceeded to clap and cheer for various mock-awards and winners. They even did one for a standing ovation, pretend tears of happiness in their eyes. Although it didn't seem plausible, they started doing the wave despite how quickly they went through the motions.

"We're gonna have so much fun at the awards show," Dez commented happily, his arms and body still in motion.

Austin caught himself before he said anything, and he stopped to fix his clothes as he paced away. "About that, Dez… I've been thinking about this and-"

"- and you're trying to figure out a way to let Trish down," Dez cut him off, placing a comforting hand on his blonde friend in understanding. "All you have to do is tell her, _I'm taking Dez, so stop crying, lo~ser!_"

The blonde followed his path to the fridge, frowning. "That's not an easy way to let her down," he dryly pointed out. Who knew Dez would get so competitive when it came to Trish?

Then again, he thought, the two didn't exactly have a close friendship. It was more of a tolerance for each other because Austin and Ally worked together and were good friends. So, to keep things civil, Trish and Dez didn't hang out unless the other two were present.

Sympathetically, the freckled teen offered, "If you can't tell her, I will… _Can I tell her?!_" The last was asked so eagerly, Austin had to back up because of how close Dez got to his face.

"Look, obviously I want to take you, Dez," Austin slowly began, feeling his way through the conversation, "I mean, you're not _just_ my video director – You're my **best** friend." Right next to Ally, but he wouldn't say that aloud.

"Yeah. I've been through everything with you," Dez reminisced, "Remember that time at camp, you ripped your pants, so I gave you mine?"

Austin nodded, remembering. "Yeah, you went pant-less for the rest of the summer… And most of the fall."

Dez laughed. "Hey, and remember the time we got stuck in the elevator – I gave you my pants, then, too."

"Yeah," he chuckled then flatly added, "There really was no need to do that."

"But that's what best friends do for each other! I mean, I can't see us _not_ going to your first awards show together."

Oh God was he right. Austin had to admit that Dez brought up good points; good, solid points. They were best friends, and he'd always imagined Dez by his side; his right-hand man.

"You're right. I can't go without you. I'll just have to explain to Trish that the ticket is yours."

Dez excitedly jumped into the air. Shouting, "Awesome-sauce!" he ripped his pants off and handed them to Austin with a grin. "For you, buddy."

Chuckling, Austin took them.

Now, all he had to worry about was letting Trish know his final decision and apologize for being a jerk for giving away her ticket.

That, and he really needed to talk to Ally about his sneakers.

Everything should work out… Right?

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**With Austin (and Ally)**_

"Just to make sure you don't drop the sousaphone, I think I better – _Austin!_ What are you doing?" Ally yelped, having no choice but to let go of Nelson and the instrument. She watched in dismay as her little student swayed and eventually fell with a crash. She was just thankful he hadn't had far to go.

Turning to look at the blonde boy still pulling her wrist, she asked, "Austin, what's wrong? Where are we going?"

"I can't decide between sneakers because you didn't answer your phone," he replied, his voice more high-pitched than necessary.

Austin finally stopped behind the counter but didn't release Ally. He turned desperate eyes to her, and her heart melted at the sheer panic she saw. Obviously more than colored shoes were involved.

Dryly, she replied, "Then, maybe next time, you'll rethink calling me around midnight? I was sleeping."

His shoulders relaxed the slightest bit now that he had a chance to speak to her. "But, I always like having my clothes ready for the next day. You know how bad I am with making decisions," he pouted.

Ally took a deep breath, understanding the situation without being told. But first: "Green. Wear the green sneakers."

Grinning brightly, he flipped the red shoe off to replace it with the second green one he'd kept behind the counter for just this reason.

Wiggling his toes, he happily sighed, "Much better. Thanks Ally. You're awesome." He grinned charmingly at her, and Ally smiled back.

"You know, it's okay to be a bit frustrated," she said, knowing he would understand, "I know it can be tough having to deal with this ticket nonsense, especially when you have to choose between friends. And, the last thing I want to do is add pressure for you, or to somehow sway your decision. Okay?"

Ally should know that better than anyone. Having to choose between friends and your career, not just an awards show, was hard on a person, emotionally and mentally. However, Austin was different – a fact she was so happy and relieved about. He knew how to surround himself with good friends; ones who will stick by his side no matter what.

If only she had been as smart back then…

_No, that's not completely true_, she corrected, _If I hadn't stepped out of the spotlight when I did, I wouldn't have met Trish or Dez or… Austin._

Said blonde smiled gratefully. "Thanks. That's really great of you to say." Fiddling with some music magazines, he continued, "Great. Greaty-great-great."

Ally smiled. She wasn't going to say anything more and let Austin think about what to do, but she froze when she felt him gently grip her wrist.

"_But here's the thing_," he rushed out, eyes slightly wider than normal.

She whined, "But you said 'Greaty-great-great'." Did the 'greaty-great-great' mean _nothing_ anymore?

Austin chuckled sheepishly. "What if I did still want to take you? And again, you don't have to come – I'm totally fine with you not wanting to go – but, I'd want to know sooner rather than later. I mean, you'll need to request the night off, and I hear dresses take a full day for alterations to be done, and if we were going to match my tie to your purse – which I assume we would –"

"- If I say I'll think about it, will you stop talking?" Ally finally burst out. Geez, and people thought she rambled with no tomorrow in sight? They obviously hadn't met Austin when he reached this level of stress.

His grin was boyish and cute. "Yes," he answered, "I would definitely stop talking… Because I would be so excited and –"

"- I'll think about it!"

Austin wrapped Ally in a hug, arms around her waist. "Thank you, thank you, _thank you_!" he excitedly said. Releasing her, he continued to grin as he made his way out of the store before she could change her mind.

Problem solved, all he had to do was wait for Ally to agree to be his date. If she did that, then he'd have a viable excuse to turn down Trish and Dez, which had been his main issue all day (not counting what shoe color to wear). After all, the two would understand – If it weren't for Ally writing that song, he wouldn't even have this huge opportunity to sing with Shiny Money. Ally deserved to go.

_Well, all three of them deserve to go, but I really want Ally to be there_, he thought, a soft smile appearing on his face. _Her songs are the reason why we're getting anywhere in the music business – I'm sure Trish and Dez will be cool with my absolute, final decision._

_ Yeah, I have nothing to worry about…_

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**Day of Miami Internet Music Awards**_

Ally reached under the counter for Dez and Austin's tab receipt for all the instruments they'd broken, knowing she'd have to add the drum set to their growing pile of debt. Her father will be one happy man when the boys finally manage to pay it all off.

And really, playing the drums with your head in a football helmet was just asking for a concussion, in her book.

However, she had other things to worry about. She'd told Austin she couldn't attend the awards show due to work, and, although heavily disappointed, he'd said he had understood and would make his decision between Dez and Trish.

But, by the looks of the dress Trish was wearing, Ally didn't think he had. If Dez had been turned down, the brunette doubted he'd be in such a cheerful mood.

With growing dread, Ally watched as her best friend struck a pose.

"So, what do you think?" the Latina asked, grinning.

Dez responded, "Did your dress get a job at _Megaphone World _– because it is _LOUD_." Banging his head against the drum set again, he laughed as his world spun.

Trish glared. "Someday, that helmet will come off… And I'll be waiting," she darkly promised.

Defensively, the ginger haired teen stood. "Why are you all dressed up, anyway?" he demanded to know in a semi-childish voice.

"Because, Austin is taking **me** to the _Miami Internet Music Awards_," she smugly answered.

"Uh, no you're not," he replied, incredulous, "Austin promised me the ticket. I'm his best friend!"

"Ple~ase, you're not even dressed for it!"

Dez scoffed, rolling his blue eyes. "Excuse you, but exhibit A: formal backpack." Turning around, he showed off his tuxedo-wearing backpack.

Trish rolled her eyes. "Whatever, you doof. Austin is taking me."

_Uh oh_, Ally thought in dread as she watched the verbal fight between her two friends escalate at an alarming rate. _What should I do? What should I do?_

Thankfully, it turned out that she didn't need to do anything. Austin came through the back door, saw Trish and Dez fighting, and loudly announced:

"_I'm not taking either of you!_"

When the three glanced in his direction, Ally's heart sank at how sad Austin appeared. Obviously, he'd been struggling with his decision the entire time and this situation wasn't helping him.

"I'm not taking either of you," the blonde reiterated, "And, I'm not going."

Coming out from behind the counter, Ally frowned deeply. "What are you talking about?" she asked in concern.

Austin stared into her eyes, finding the strength to continue his speech in her gaze. "I messed up. I ended up promising you two the ticket."

"Why would you do that?" Trish asked, incredulous.

He tore his gaze away from Ally to stare head-on with the Latina and Dez. "Because, you gave me frosted French fries and Dez gave me his pants. And I talked – a **really** long time – to get Ally to agree, but she has to work."

"He did," Ally agreed, ruefully nodding.

Austin continued speaking, knowing he was now doing the right thing. "I'm going to call Shiny Money and let him know that I can't perform with him. There's no point in attending when we _all_ can't go. It should be about _all of us_."

When he walked away, starting to dial the rapper's number, Trish breathed out, "_Wow_," before exclaiming, "Of all the selfish things to do!" Marching after the blonde, she continued her rant, ignoring Ally's protests. "And after everything I've done for you, as your manager! This is how you want to thank me?"

"Yeah," Dez joined in, incredulous, "I was _this_ close to rubbing knees with Shiny Money! What a way to be a best friend!"

"Guys, come on," Ally continued to protest, heart speeding up with panic. No, this wasn't supposed to happen! Friends – **best friends** – shouldn't be fighting like this! They were Team Austin – they were above this childish behavior.

Exasperated, Trish commented, "It's _elbows_, Dez. Rubbing 'elbows'."

"I can't – I have sensitive elbows."

"At least _something_ is sensitive because clearly, Austin isn't sensitive at all," she snapped, rounding back on the blonde singer.

Ally watched with an aching heart as Austin finally snapped. "You know what? Forget it! I thought you guys were coming for me, but you're only acting like selfish little kids."

At his statement, Trish and Dez didn't help their situation when they started to whine and protest like five-year-olds.

"I'm not spending my night with a selfish kid," Austin added, clearly upset and hurt. Without thinking, he grabbed Ally's hand and pulled her along behind him out of the store. "Come on, Ally. I'm taking you to the awards show."

The defeat and resignation in his voice was her undoing, and Ally silently followed behind her friend as they walked out of Sonic Boom. She didn't protest or mention that no one would be watching the store. She didn't do anything, just allowed him to lead her wherever he needed to go.

However, she did wish she knew how to repair the cracks she could see forming on his heart.

_**+++Miami Mall:**_

_**With Austin and Ally**_

"Austin – Wait, stop," Ally finally protested, tugging the hand he was holding to get his attention. "We should go back. I'm sure they didn't mean – "

" – I'm not in the mood to see them right now," he softly replied, and Ally snapped her mouth closed. "I'm sorry, Ally. I shouldn't have dragged you out like that." When he released her hand, he was surprised when she gripped him instead. "Ally?"

"It's okay. I don't mind," she reassured, smiling. "You're upset and you should get your mind off of Trish and Dez. Let's walk around."

Austin smiled at Ally's show of caring. Why couldn't their other friends be as understanding? Then again, to be fair – Ally was hard to compare anyone to. She was… _amazing_.

"Thanks," he gratefully said. His shoulders suddenly light, he straightened his posture and started leading the short brunette around the mall by the hand. "Oh! We should get you a dress for tonight," he eagerly commented, eyes scanning the multiple shops they passed.

Ally chuckled, shaking her head. "Are you serious? We'll never find a dress that fits perfectly by the time we have to leave," she pointed out, being realistic.

He scoffed, "Humor me, then. I bet we'll find one, along with shoes and accessories!" The challenging note that entered his tone at the end had Ally giggling, amused.

"Whatever you say, pop star. I don't think we will."

Austin threw a charming wink at her. "You're on, Dawson. I don't plan on losing."

She laughed, happy that his mind wasn't focused on Trish and Dez anymore. At least for now he could distract himself and not have to deal with his sense of hurt and betrayal. This was his night, and she would make sure he had fun.

And somehow get Trish and Dez to apologize. Friends shouldn't fight, especially not Team Austin.

_**+++Miami Mall:**_

_**With Austin and Ally**_

Ally stood on the sidelines, biting her lower lip to keep from laughing as Austin critically scanned the dresses on the rack. This was the third store they'd walked into and he had yet to find the perfect dress for her. He insisted on having the 'right idea' for what she should wear, but this was a boy who had admitted to having problems making decisions.

Needless to say, she wasn't going to hold her breath as he made up his mind.

"Austin," she sweetly called, smug, "Have you found _the one_ yet?"

His fingers twitched between two dresses he'd narrowed the rack down to. Why Ally had to be so petite and curved just right, he'd never understand – There was just _too many choices_! Then, there was the fact that this dress had to go amazingly-well with her pretty features and silky chestnut hair… Decisions, decisions!

Sighing, he closed his eyes, prayed, then plucked out one of the dresses. Turning, he handed it to Ally, who took it obediently. "Here, try this one on," he sternly instructed. Why? Because they'd gotten into a _tiny_ argument in the last store about him making her try on too many dresses. Well, like he said, he wasn't planning on losing.

Ally dramatically sighed, but went over to a salesperson to inquire about a dressing room. Soon, she was disappearing behind a door and Austin was left to wait in a chair that was conveniently placed nearby.

He tapped his fingers against his leg as he waited, creating a beat that had him bobbing his head in time with it. A few minutes later, the door in front of him unlocked and he stopped to look up.

"I don't know about his one, Austin," Ally said in a worried tone. "I mean, it's nice but…"

Austin felt the air leave his lungs as he stared at his best friend, eyes widening in appreciation. The dress he'd chosen had paid off. It was a silver, glittery color with a one-shoulder strap, and skin-tight, exposing her curves modestly. It ended a little after mid-thigh, which showcased how long Ally's legs actually were. If she curled her hair just-right, she'd be stunning.

"_Wow_, you look amazing," he said, grinning. "You should get it."

Ally self-consciously crossed her arms. "I feel… _exposed_," she whispered, like she was telling him a dark secret. "Besides, I thought you wanted to match your tie to my purse? You're wearing mostly purple and dark grey." By that logic, her purse would have to match her dress. Simple.

"I'm not wearing a tie," he said, shrugging. "I couldn't find one that matched the outfit you helped me with."

She gave him a dry look. "Let's go find you a tie, then. We'll match everything to that, okay?"

Austin charmingly smiled. "Okay. Go change."

While Ally changed into her regular clothes, Austin had reached over the top of the door to snag the silver dress she'd tried on. When she noticed, she started protesting his actions but he ignored her and continued to make his way to the cash register. Maybe she wouldn't use the dress that night, but he was sure he could convince her to attend an event with him in the future, then they could match with this dress in mind. Simple.

By the time Ally came out, Austin was already holding the bag that contained her new dress. With a cute wrinkle of her nose, she marched right passed him and out of the store. If he wanted to buy things behind her back, he could carry the bag!

Austin laughed good-naturedly and quickly followed the brunette.

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**With Trish and Dez**_

Trish sat in contemplative silence as she thought about what she and Dez had done. Did she, really - ? And Austin was going with Ally? Although the last thought brought joy to her, she also knew it hadn't been under the right circumstances. An _Auslly_ moment shouldn't be forced – It had to happen naturally.

Besides, she and Dez hadn't been very good friends to Austin earlier. Instead of agreeing with his decision, they'd acted like the selfish kids he'd accused them of being. Now, they had hurt their friend and got another one dragged into the middle.

Trish knew Ally hated when friends fought, especially since they were Team Austin, so the Latina could only imagine the heartbreak her friend was feeling. No doubt she was also trying to comfort Austin, but who was there to comfort Ally? Her past must be staring her in the face, and all she had was an unknowing blonde singer with his own problems.

Trish knew what needed to be done – She and Dez had to figure out a way to apologize to Austin about being the worst friends imaginable. And she owed an apology to Ally, too.

"_Dez!_" the Latina exclaimed, snapping the ginger haired teen's attention onto her. "What do we do now? Just sit here by ourselves and feel horrible?"

A thoughtful expression crossed his face. Slowly, he answered, "Not necessarily…"

"Wait," she replied, a smile growing on her face as an idea came to her, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"We should – " they started together.

"Call Ally to help us!"

"Get an elephant! Tractor – Pineapple! No, a penguin!"

Trish glared in exasperation at Dez. "You're such an elephant-tractor-pineapple-penguin!" she snapped. Getting her cell phone out, she speed-dialed the brunette.

"Trish?" Ally answered, keeping her voice down. "I can't talk for very long. Austin is getting ready for the awards show."

"I know, I know," the Latina said, "Dez and I feel horrible about how things went with Austin earlier, and we wanted to apologize. But, we need your help – We want to prove how sorry we are."

"What are you guys thinking about doing?"

Dez cut in, exclaiming, "Getting a penguin!"

At the exact same time he'd spoken, Trish had answered, "We're thinking about sneaking into the show."

Ally paused on the other line, obviously wondering how she should take what they said. "First off," she began, "Where would you even keep a penguin? In a bathtub? Full of ice? Secondly, I think that's a good idea, Trish. You heard Austin – He wants all of us to be there!"

Trish excitedly stood up, happy they had a plan. "Great, so we're all on the same page, right?"

"Yes!" Dez cheerfully answered. Fast-walking out of the practice room, he called back, "I'll go get the penguin! You two get the ice, and we'll meet up at Ally's bathtub!"

After a short pause, Ally asked, "Did I just hear what I think I did?"

"Yeah, unfortunately."

"Please stop him. I don't want a bathtub full of ice nor a penguin."

_**+++Miami Internet Music Awards:**_

_**With Austin and Ally**_

After her phone call with Trish, Ally walked back into the room just in time to see Austin shut off the television hanging on the wall. She smiled when he turned to her, fingers plucking nervously at the hem of her dress.

True to his word, Austin had found the perfect dress to match her purse, which would match his tie. Her dress – which was once again bought by the blonde singer – was strapless with a corset-like top in a purple color that went perfectly with his dress shirt. However, the skirt of the dress flared out from her waist in a lacey cloud of black, dark grey, and silver. It also served as a flirty layer over the otherwise plain purple fabric underneath.

For shoes, Austin had bought her a pair of silver heels with black outlines. Although she'd heavily protested, he'd insisted since he was 'kidnapping' her to the awards show. Seeing as how it gave her legs such awesome shape, she'd given in. As for make-up, she'd stayed natural and light – light pink blush, glittery silver eye shadow, black eyeliner and mascara, and rosy lip balm. Her hair was styled with a side-ways sweep that exposed one shoulder for dramatic effect, and clipped in place with strategic bobby-pins.

"So, what do you think?" she nervously asked, fingers still plucking.

Austin grinned, chocolate eyes shining in the room's light. "You look beautiful, Ally," he complimented. Using his own sense of flare, he posed for her inspection. "What do you think about me? Awesome, right?"

Ally giggled, rolling her eyes. "Uh _duh_, of course you look _awesome_," she replied, "But, come here a sec. Your tie is crooked."

He obediently walked forward, smiling when she started fixing his work. He was surprised, however, when she loosened it, instead of making it straight. "I thought you would like it better if I wasn't a complete slob," he commented, confused.

Fingers gently touching the black, white, and silver, fabric, she shrugged. "It's more _you_," was her simple response, but she had no idea how his heart beat wildly at her words.

Austin breathed a small sigh of relief when she backed up to look around the room they would be waiting in until it was time for him to perform. He would've been embarrassed if she'd seen how pink his cheeks were or if she felt what kind of effect her statement had on his heart.

"Chocolate covered hot dogs?" Ally questioned, seeing the food combination sitting on a napkin. Her nose wrinkled, and Austin thought it made her look adorable.

Standing beside her, he nodded. "Yeah, chocolate covered hot dogs remind me of Dez," he said, tone turning wistful as he imagined his best friend eating said items.

The door suddenly opened, and the teens turned to look at a man with a clipboard and headset. "_Austin Moon!_" he loudly called out, "_You're on in five!_" Then, with a small slam, he left.

"That reminded me of Trish," Austin added in that same wistful voice.

"I wish they were here to see you," Ally said with a small smile, hoping said friends would arrive soon for their plan to work. Obviously Austin wanted them to be there too despite what happened earlier. "I really, _really_ wish they were here."

However, with the five-minute warning, Austin grabbed Ally's hand (a gesture she was learning gave him comfort) and led her out of the room. He'd convinced the backstage crew to let Ally stay near him as he performed, and no one had argued, thinking they were a couple.

And, if either teen corrected the misconception, they never did it out loud.

_**+++Backstage:**_

_**With Ally (and Trish and Dez)**_

After Austin had left to get his microphone and listen to last-minute details, Ally quietly snuck Trish and Dez into the backstage area she'd been designated to stay.

"Now that we're in, can we take off these trash bags?" Trish complained, adjusting the 'dress' she was wearing.

Ally shook her head. "No, you guys need to look like you belong here. The only reason I can stay is because Austin had to ask. I don't want you and Dez to get kicked out before you talk to him. Besides, Shiny Money is performing _Trash Talka_ and his backup dancers are wearing the same thing."

"I think these are awesome," Dez added happily. "I mean, look – You don't even need to find a trashcan now." Pulling the waistband out, he dropped his empty soda can into it with a proud smile.

Ally refocused on Trish without a comment, saying, "All you guys have to do is find Austin before someone who works here notices you two."

"Like that guy?" Trish panicked, pointing at someone behind the brunette's shoulder. "We need to hide!"

"Those trashcans!" Ally exclaimed, gesturing at said disposable bins. She watched with worried eyes as Trish and Dez hopped inside and closed the covers above their heads. Without thinking, she started biting on the tip of her thumb.

"Show time!" a guy with a clipboard and headset announced, "Everyone, take your places!"

Ally couldn't do anything as she watched in horror as two backstage helpers grabbed Trish's and Dez's bins, starting to roll them out on-stage.

"This is **not** how I envisioned this happening…"

Meanwhile, on-stage, Dez popped his head out, commenting, "Hey, did it feel like we were moving?" He froze when he saw where he was.

Releasing a semi-girlish scream, he dropped back down into the bin to hide from the awaiting audience.

_**+++Backstage:**_

_**With Austin and Ally**_

"I swear, Ally, one day you're going to lose the tip of your thumb," Austin lightly reprimanded as he pulled said digit away from her mouth. "What are you going to do then?"

Innocently, she answered, "Call you to take me to the hospital?"

He playfully rolled his eyes, unable to hide the smile curving his lips. "Fine, but let's not ever have that conversation, okay? I'd rather not think about you being hurt."

"Okay," she nodded.

Austin shifted from one foot to the other. "I have this strange feeling that you're hiding something from me," he stated, looking at Ally meaningfully. It wasn't every day she started biting her thumb like that, after all. Something was up, and he wanted to know.

"Wh~at," Ally drew out, laughing in a strained manner. "I don't know what you mean. It's not like I helped Trish and Dez sneak in here, stole a couple of trash bag costumes so they wouldn't get into trouble, then told them to hide in some bins that ended up being rolled onto the stage…"

"_What?!_" he exclaimed, eyes widening. "Trish and Dez are here? _Why?_"

In a fit of nerves and needing to be honest, Ally began wildly gesturing with her hands. "They wanted to apologize –"

" _– And now, the one and only, Shiny Money with Internet sensation, Austin Moon!_" an announcer called out, cutting off whatever else Ally was saying.

Austin sighed, knowing he needed to go. "I'll be back," he said, then quickly left Ally backstage to step out with Shiny Money. His thoughts were a whirl of confusion, but he couldn't deal with why Trish and Dez were there. His focus needed to be on his performance with the rapper.

Waving at the audience, the blonde singer continued to smile like nothing was wrong. In reality, all he wanted to do was find Trish and Dez and have a talk with them. They were friends, weren't they? He should, at least, hear them out.

"_Hey, Austin!_" a whispered voice called out, and Austin whipped around to face the trash bin props with a furrowed brow.

His eyes nearly popped out of his head as he saw Trish and Dez pop their heads out while staying hidden. _Whoa, Ally hadn't been lying when she said they were on-stage in trash cans_.

"What do we do now?" Trish whispered anxiously.

Austin waved his hands in a _get-down_ motion. Obviously, the two couldn't come out right then – He and Shiny Money were about to perform. All he could do was hope that nothing bad happened…

"_It's time to take out the trash!_" the Emcee announced, and Austin mentally groaned when the backup dancers began hopping out of the other bins on stage. Soon enough, Trish and Dez were forced to also make an appearance but couldn't run anywhere. They would get stopped before they made it backstage.

Not able to do anything, Trish and Dez began dancing to the beat of Shiny Money's song, _Trash Talka_.

**Trash Talka ft. Double Take:**

"_It's shiny time,_

_It's shiny time"_

**Austin:**

"_You're gonna make (make) make (make)_

_Make 'em do a Double Take"_

Immediately after singing his first line, Austin backed up smoothly to stand between Trish and Dez. "What are you guys doing here?" he whispered frantically.

Dez, being the 'right' person to answer, said, "Trying to learn the dance!" with a bright smile.

Before the blonde could retort, it was his turn to sing again, so he shuffled off to stand front and center with the rapper.

**Shiny Money:**

"_It's money time,_

_It's money time"_

**Austin:**

"_You're gonna make (make) make (make)  
Make 'em do a double take"_

Not wanting to deal with Dez's weird answers at a time like this, Austin danced his way towards Ally, who was back to biting the tip of her thumb as her doe-like eyes were locked on him or their other friends.

Grabbing her wrist, he gently pulled the digit from between her teeth again. "What is going on here?" he asked, then frowned. "And what did I tell you about biting your thumb?"

"Austin, they just want to – "

" – Hold that thought!"

**Shiny Money:**

"_It's garbage time  
It's garbage time"_

**Austin:**

"_You're gonna make (make) make (make)  
Make 'em do a double take"_

Coming right back to Ally, they continued their conversation, although it was going to be ridiculously short.

"I can't believe they're here," he stated, exasperated.

"But they just –"

Ally frowned at being cut off once more as Austin shot her an apologetic look as he danced away from her once again. There had to be an easier way to get this conversation finished. Did she mention how much she hated when friends fought?

**Shiny Money:**

"_Take out the trash  
Take out the trash"_

**Austin:**

"_You're gonna make (make) make (make)  
Make 'em do a double take"_

Austin made to dance back towards Ally, but he couldn't. Shiny Money was doing his solo part of the song and had placed an arm around his shoulders in a friendly gesture. He supposed that made sense – the rapper had turned out to be quite the Austin Moon (and Ally-D) fan.

But, now, he couldn't talk to Ally to hear why Trish and Dez were present. Austin had no choice but to finish the song and see the two afterwards.

**Shiny Money:**

"_They call me Shiny Money  
'Cause I live in Shiny Place  
Solid gold top and ten diamond rings_

_Got a shiny smile and a perfect shiny face  
Can be seen in the crowd all way from outer space  
Shiny pants, Shiny shoes, Shiny shades gotta watch ma groove_

_Shiny car with the treble and bass  
You see it fly by  
Make you do a double take!"_

Smiling, he broke out in his dance solo along with the backup dancers. However, he kept Trish and Dez in his peripheral vision. He was surprised the two had picked up the routine relatively fast, but it didn't mean they were forgiven.

No, they still had to talk things out. Of course, it helped that they were doing all of this to prove how sorry they were – for him, it meant something, especially since he now had all of his friends with him for the awards show.

Like how it was supposed to be from the beginning.

**Shiny Money:**

"_It's shiny time, it's shiny time"_

**Austin:**

"_You're gonna make (make) make (make)  
Make 'em do a double take"_

As part of the performance, Shiny Money stepped up onto a higher level of the stage, getting ready for his big finish.

Meanwhile, Austin made his way to the opposite side of the stage from Ally. The song was almost over, so he could be patient to hear what was going on behind his back. It's not like he blamed Ally for this 'deception' – never that. Everyone who knew Ally knew she didn't like when friends fought, especially when it affected the dynamic of Team Austin.

Feeling a little guilty now for putting her in the middle, he promised himself that he would apologize before the night was over.

**Shiny Money:**

"_It's money time,_

_It's money time"_

**Austin:**

"_You're gonna make (make) make (make)  
Make 'em do a double take"_

**Shiny Money:**

"_It's garbage time,_

_It's garbage time"_

**Austin:**

"_You're gonna make (make) make (make)  
Make 'em do a double take"_

**Shiny Money:**

"_Now I'm gonna jump,_

_Now I'm gonna jump"_

Trish and Dez froze as they heard that line, both exchanging panicked glances. Looking up, they stared in horror as Shiny Money shot them a confident smile and a thumbs-up signal.

Oh no, what have they gotten themselves into this time?

**Austin:**

"_You're gonna make (make) make (make)  
Make 'em do a double take"_

Of course, Dez would be the one to shrug off the obvious, not thinking that the rapper was serious about jumping off and assuming they would catch him.

Trish winced when the ginger haired teen returned the thumbs-up sign to Shiny Money. Self preservation in mind, she backed up right when Shiny Money jumped…

And landed on the hard floor of the stage.

Everything stopped, everyone frozen in shock.

Austin stared incredulously at the fallen rapper, one arm raised to finish his last line of the song. From her spot, Ally's jaw dropped, stunned by what she'd just witnessed. Had they really-?

"I think we were supposed to catch him," Dez whispered, although the total silence in the room made it seem like a shout.

Thinking the two had embarrassed themselves enough, Austin stood near them to finish, "_Double take!_"

No truer words had ever been spoken. That moment had definitely been a double take…

_**+++Miami Internet Music Awards:**_

_**Later that Night**_

Holding Ally's hand for comfort, Austin made his way around the stage in search of Trish and Dez. After Shiny Money's fall, chaos had pretty much broken out and he'd lost sight of the two, but he knew they couldn't be far. After this entire night, he didn't think they would simply leave because they'd embarrassed themselves on live TV by not catching a world-known rapper.

Nah, those two were made out of tougher stuff than that.

Stopping in front of a few trash bags, he asked, "You guys are still here?"

From his side, Ally moved to say something, but got cut off. Huffing, she rolled her eyes. Why bother trying to speak at all tonight?

"Yeah, we're still here," Trish answered.

Dez added, "And, Austin, we're really sorry."

"Sorry for what?" he asked, and Ally could have sworn she saw a pout form on his face; a sad puppy-dog pout that made her want to hug him forever. "Sorry for caring more about yourselves than me?"

Knowing this was important to everyone involved, Ally tugged on his sleeve to gain his attention. "You're talking to actual trash bags," she stated softly. With a tilt of her head, she steered his words in the right direction.

Austin took a couple of steps forward, saw Trish and Dez leaning against the trash bin props and said, "Oh," in realization. His expression turning hurt once more, he repeated, "Sorry for what? Sorry for caring more about –"

" – You're right," Trish cut in, not needing to hear his questions again. It wasn't like she and Dez hadn't heard them. "We were being selfish and should have been more supportive."

"Yeah, we should have realized sooner that tonight was about you, not us," Dez chimed in, true regret coloring his tone. "But, that's why we came down here – to support you."

A smile was beginning to appear on Austin's face, and Ally breathed a sigh of relief. "So, you guys _weren't_ just thinking about yourselves when you snuck in here?"

Trish scoffed, her own smile making its way across her face, "If I were thinking about myself, do you honestly think I would wear _this_?" She gestured to the trash bag costume she'd been forced to wear, and Austin chuckled at how true that was.

"We're sorry for ruining the show for you," Trish added, and Dez nodded in agreement.

"You didn't ruin it," the blonde said, grinning. The grin quickly faded into a contemplative expression and he added, "Actually, you two totally ruined it."

"But we're happy you guys came," Ally cut in, proud she hadn't let herself be cut off this time. She smiled widely at Trish and Dez, truly happy they'd come to their senses and apologized to Austin. This was what friendship was about – when you admitted you were wrong, apologized, and did something extreme to prove it.

"Yeah, definitely," Austin nodded in agreement. "I couldn't imagine my first awards show without you guys. We're a team."

"Buddy," Dez said, smiling in his own charming way, "If I were wearing real pants right now, I'd give them to you."

"Yeah, I think we should just go back to fist-bumping," the blonde replied, giving his best friend an odd glance, while unconsciously squeezing Ally's hand.

Trish finally took note of the way Austin was holding Ally's hand, and mentally squealed at the _Auslly_ moment she was witnessing. She'd have to tell Dez about it later! She'd also have to mention how cute it was that the two wore matching outfits, like a real celebrity couple!

Ally couldn't seem to contain herself anymore. She shot forward, which yanked Austin right behind her, to throw an arm around Trish in a tight hug. "Oh yay! I'm so happy you guys made up!" she bubbled happily, practically bouncing where she stood.

Trish rolled her eyes good-naturedly, but returned the hug with a happy squeeze. "I'm sorry about the fight," she whispered in Ally's ear, "I know how much you hate when friends fight, especially with your past. So, I'm sorry."

Even though the Latina couldn't see it, Ally's smile softened. "Thanks, Trish," she whispered back, "And don't worry – I forgive you. I'm just happy everything is fine again."

With the boys, Austin and Dez clapped each other on the back, seeing as how Austin's hand was glued to Ally's. The ginger haired teen mentally screamed like a little girl in excitement, but didn't let his inner thoughts express themselves. He'd save that for when he talked to Trish later.

"What-Up," they said together, doing their signature handshake with matching, happy grins.

As the four pulled away, Shiny Money was rolled passed them on an emergency stretcher. His arms and legs were bound in casts, and Trish and Dez shifted in their spots guiltily.

"Hey, you were the two who were supposed to catch me," the rapper accused, trying his best to point at Trish and Dez.

"You're not still mad, are you?" Trish asked, "We didn't mean to drop you."

"Still?" he incredulously asked, "It only happened an hour ago!"

Ally laughed uncomfortably, half-hiding behind Austin. "It was actually two hours ago… You kind of blacked out for some time…"

"My doctor said I can't perform for at least eight months," Shiny Money continued, "Thanks a lot."

Dez smiled brightly. "Hey, no problem. High-five!" Slapping his hand to his favorite rapper's, the four teens watched in horror as Shiny Money rolled backwards with the EMTs chasing him. Crashing sounds soon followed, and they winced as one.

"_Run away!_" Austin called out. With his hand clasped securely with Ally's, he moved to do just that. Behind him, he could hear Trish and Dez also making fast tracks out of the building.

As they made it onto the street, he couldn't help but burst into laughter. Oh yeah, they were definitely a team. He didn't know where he would be without either of them. He didn't even want to imagine a world where they didn't know each other; didn't get to hang out every day.

Austin's chocolate eyes landed on Ally unconsciously. _Yeah, definitely don't want to imagine a world like that._

_**+++Sonic Boom:**_

_**With Austin and Ally**_

After Trish and Dez disappeared to parts unknown, Austin led Ally back to Sonic Boom for their own private after-party. He bought pizza with their favorite toppings, and now the two were sitting on the countertop in their formal attire, shoes kicked off and laying in a heap on the floor.

"I can't imagine a better after-party," Ally commented, taking a delicate bite of her pizza.

Having abandoned his suit jacket, Austin rolled up the sleeves to his purple dress shirt. He grinned at his songwriting partner as he grabbed his own slice.

"Yeah, me neither. I mean, can you imagine us eating all that fancy food with people we don't know? And without Trish and Dez?"

"Speaking of which," Ally said, "Where did those two go? They just disappeared on the way here. Didn't they want to celebrate with us?"

Austin paused in taking his second bite. "Actually, I'm kind of glad they aren't here," he admitted quietly.

"What? Why?"

In his most sincere tone, he said, "I wanted to apologize to you, in private. Today was pretty bad, but I ended up dragging you into the middle when I shouldn't have." Chocolate connected with sweet, doe-like eyes. "I'm sorry, Ally. I knew how much you hated when friends argue, but that didn't stop me from putting you in a difficult position. But… at the same time, thanks for today." The smile that appeared on his face was heart-stopping, and Ally couldn't breathe for a second. "It meant a lot to me. You made me feel better about Trish and Dez, too."

Heart melting, Ally smiled softly at his words. "Don't mention it, Austin." Leaning her head against his shoulder, she made her own confession. "I may not be ready to admit what happened a year ago, but every day I spend with _you_, Trish and Dez… It makes it easier to think about and remember. I have a lot to thank you for, too, you know."

_More than you'll ever know, Austin. More than you'll ever know._

She took comfort in the way he wrapped his arm around her waist and laid his head gently against hers.

"When you're ready to talk, I'll be right beside you," he promised, "Like I said, we're a team. I'm always going to be there for you, no matter what."

_More than you'll ever know, Ally. More than you'll ever know._

* * *

_**+++The End+++**_

_**Until next time!**_

_Please review! It would be much appreciated (: also, check out my profile or Twitter ( azn_m) for update information!  
_


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